Cat's Paw
by Twiddlestonia
Summary: After the Avengers, Loki was punished as a cat on Earth, no magic, can't die either. An unassuming witch takes him in, thinking he's a lost familiar. He's in for a surprise when SHEILD and the Chitauri find them. Hurt/Comfort/Family/Romance
1. What the cat dragged in

Notes: eventually a Loki x OC romance fanfiction, however it mainly is about family bonds and stuff. And hurt/comfort. The romance won't be blatantly obvious until the last few chapters.

Rating: T, 16+ for non-descript scenes of nudity, sexuality, cussing, various Loki monologues, mentions of rape, assassins being badass, blood, complex issues. I will warn you if there is something in the chapter. It will start out being fluffy. The more chapters posted, the more intense it will get.

I own nothing but my own made-up ideas

Thanks everyone for your support.

Enjoy!

* * *

This chapter contains Loki being turned into a cat, ran over by cars, and an attempted-but-not-really rape. Not graphic.

* * *

The tall, yet disheveled figure defiantly stands as a banner of his crimes in the center of Odin's Throne Room. Various gods and goddesses litter the edges of the room, gossip spreads like wildfire against the mad prince. Loki would sneer, if the cold muzzle wasn't disabling his mouth, one of his greatest weapons.

Odin the All Father sits wearily on the throne. Idly Loki wonders how close Odin is to the Odin Sleep, because the signs are all there: the weary gaze, the distinct lines next to his eye, the slumped shoulders. Beside Odin, standing right next to the throne, is Thor in all his red and gold glory.

Loki looks away sharply from those piercing blue eyes that reside over those down-turned lips. Thor may look like the next king, but his expression is an ocean of drowning sorrows.

_Why? They never acknowledge what I do! Why does he give me that horrid pity! He should just rot!_ Loki's mind races with rabid thoughts of hate, trying to stay above the despair.

"Loki Odin's son," Odin says, Loki locks gazes, keeping his head held high as a small act of rebellion against his situation. His situation is rather pathetic, wearing nothing more than a tunic and pants, chains adoring his chaffed wrists. His clothes are wrinkled, after having been in a cell for a good month as the council deliberated.

He would never admit it, but he has been terrified of what tortures they can concoct. He knows they won't—more specifically _can't_—kill him.

"Your crimes against Agard, Misgard, and Joutenheim are many," Odin says slowly, another sign. "The council has decided on an appropriate punishment. You are hereby banished to Earth, stripped of your powers and bound in another form. You will be bound in an ugly form of a pest, a cat. You will be given the power of regeneration, for these pests lives are constantly shortened by outside influences, such as hunters. Yet you will remain as a pest, on Misgard, forgotten about by all."

Murmurs spread throughout the crowd, at the humiliation, some daring to bet this is meant to drive Loki mad and keep him contained at the same time.

Loki searches Odin's expression, not finding his answer he looks as Thor. There is only sadness, which causes an unprecedented fear from creeping up him. _There will be no end to this torture_.

Odin points his staff at Loki.

* * *

Rain. Torrents of rain. This maze of concrete doesn't help at all. He's already died at least fifty times this last month. The majority of those are from those cursed, loud, metal monsters with slippery wheels.

He slinks into an alley, still limping on legs that are regenerating. The only good thing about the rain is it will wash off the blood. He never liked being dirty, and the feelings are intensified in this form—a cat. All his powers sealed away is scarier than he could ever imagine. He never was affected by the cold before, but now it's like he's being bathed in ice, his jouten heritage nonexistent.

There's a hiss. He looks over at the tabby, crouched over its kill. A mouse. Loki rolls his eyes and looks away. But the other cat keeps hissing. Too bad he can't understand what its saying. He understand the general warning—stay away from my kill or else—but it's not words. He can't even communicate with the species he was cursed as.

Suddenly the tabby picks up the mouse and runs away. _Good_.

"No!" a desperate voice of a woman shouts. Loki lazily looks around. At the end of the alley, there's a woman in dark jeans and a baggy t-shirt. A tough, gruff looking man pushes her up against the wall.

"C'mon girly, let's have some fun," the man says.

Loki rolls his eyes again. Humans. He despised the creatures before. He despises them even more now that he's had the horrid opportunity to watch robbings, rapings, and murders. He supposes this situation would be a raping.

At least it's something to distract him from the cold.

Suddenly the gruff man flies against the opposite wall. If cats had eyebrows, Loki would have raised his. Alone, the woman looks way too small to muster that much force. So this will turn into a fight? Much more entertaining.

"Bitch!" the gruff man shouts, pulling out knifes. Her eyes widen, focusing on those blades. It's not the fear of being prey, Loki notes. It's the excitement of a game.

The man charges her, aiming to impale her stomach. When he's about a foot away from her, she appears to turn into a hundred black butterflies and flies away. Loki sees right through the illusion. She slide down the wall, out of harm's way.

"The hell?" the man says, looking around. He spots Loki. The god of mischief can see the gears working in the poor, drunken mortal's mind. Girl randomly turning into butterflies + pure black cat with unusually green eyes. The man gasps in shock, eyes widening. "Witch!"

He stumbles as he runs away, dropping his knifes.

Once he's gone, the girl picks up the knives and pockets them carefully. She makes herself visible as she walks over to Loki and kneels down.

"My, my," the girl says, gingerly reaching out to Loki. Loki hisses at her scratching out at her. She pulls her hand away in time. "Are you someone's familiar? There's an unusually large amount of magic on you, for a cat… Actually, for anything." She looks him over, pitying the bloody body.

Loki hisses again, not wanting any of it. She chuckles.

"Chalk it up to me being an animal lover. A cat is my knight in shining armor, saving me from that bastard," the lady says. Loki tilts his head slightly, understanding the reference but thinking she's crazy. "But you don't have a collar or any form of identification. So I'm assuming you're a stray. Would you like a reward? I could take you back to my place and feed you? And get you cleaned up?"

"You are crazy," Loki meows. She chuckles.

"Sorry, I don't speak cat," she says. She extends her arms. "If you want to come with me, let me carry you home. Your leg looks broken."

He looks at her arms, mistrusting them.

"I don't bite," she says. He rolls his eyes. "Please?" Green eyes lock with…gray? Very unusual in a mortal. It must be the lighting making blue look gray. But there's something in that tone she uses. She sighs, pulling her arms back. "Fine. If you want to stay, stay."

Loki meows, sudden tiredness and hunger making him sound desperate, taking a few steps toward her. Walking surprisingly well for a broken leg. He rubs himself against her legs, getting her jeans muddy and bloody. She smiles and picks him up. He meows in protest, but doesn't fight.

She walks out of the alley, and hails a cab. Loki eyes the death trap suspiciously, but doesn't object as she carefully gets in. On the way back to her place, she looks out the window, letting Loki rest in her lap.

Horrid music plays from the radio. Loki decides to look at her to try to distract himself. Her eyes really are gray. Unusual. Then again, so is the ability to cast illusions. The ability to use magic died from this world many centuries ago, but he supposes one or two parts of magic could still exist.

A random lock of starry black hair—a color that could compete with his own—falls into her face, hitting normal, if slightly red, cheeks. She doesn't appear to be wearing makeup, a girly contrast to all the odd earrings in her ears. There is a dangly earring with feathers and beads at the base of each ear. Then there are three jewels climbing the lobe of each ear—each stone is different, probably holding different magical qualities. The top of her ears each have a gold loop and a silver loop, with another jewel in between them. That jewel is an emerald, a color surprisingly close to his eyes.

He looks down to her neck, finding gold and silver chain leading below the neckline of the baddy, grey shirt—_Oh Odin no!_ Loki groans and she looks at him, raising an eyebrow. It's an Iron Man t-shirt. Great she's one of those annoying fan girls, of his enemies, no less. He'd put money on one of the gods back home planning this torture.

The taxi stops and she pays the driver before getting out. She gently carries Loki down a path, to the very end of an apartment complex. The door looks normal, but he can feel an intense amount of magic radiating from it. She shifts Loki before placing a hand on the door. She whispers a spell and the door opens as she pushes on it.

_Very strange,_ he notes. She appears to be adapt at the limited magic she has.

She steps inside, closing the door behind them. Loki gets a good look around. It reminds him of the healer's rooms in the palace on Asgard. Very clean and tidy and bare of anything unnecessary. The room itself looks like it takes up the entire area he assumed was her apartment. The walls are a light purple color, covered in glass. The lone window has heavy, dark green curtains over it. There's a couch against a wall, a desk against another. And that's it.

One of the doors open, exposing a gigantic white wolf.

Loki hisses in panic, drawing his claws. The woman yelps, dropping him. He runs to the exit, intent of scratching his way out when there's a laugh. But it's not the woman. He turns around. The dangerous wolf prances across the room, transforming into an itty-bitty Chihuahua. The creature sits next to Loki, not even half his size.

The woman walks off.

"Alex didn't warn me about a guest," the creature barks. Words. From another four legged creature. Loki actually understands those sounds as words. This strange twist of fate makes him look at the creature. It is now a Chihuahua smaller than him, even though a moment ago it was a giant white wolf, with grey fur and grey eyes—the eyes are the same as the human's. "Hi! My name is Pavlov. I'm a canine familiar. Alex's my master. You've got a lot of magic. Why? Who are you? What's your name?"

Loki gets the impression this _Pavlov_ won't shut up if he doesn't stop it.

"Shut it!" Loki hisses.

"That'll only happen if you answer a few questions," the woman says from another room that smells like food. He ignores Pavlov, and her weird answer and follows his nose. The Chihuahua follows, still barking questions. They end up in the kitchen, that would make world-famous chiefs jealous of all the fancy gadgets and space and… multiple stoves/ovens and microwaves.

_Who the hell is this chick_? Loki's confusion shows.

"Alex is a class one mage," if Loki had been eating something, he would have chocked from the shock. He's not sure if it's simply that Pavlov answered his thought or he's surprised she has such a low class. Illusionists are at least class two. "Able to do most anything you ever wanted! She's an amazing master! You should become her familiar too! She has quite a few of us! It's amazing!" Pavlov does not shut up. Loki groans. This pup does not make any sense. Yet the god of lies does not sense a lie.

"Any food preferences?" Alex asks.

"Drink," Loki meows.

"Water? Milk? Alcohol? Soda?" Pavlov asks.

"Milk," Loki hesitates. Offering a cat alcohol? What the hell? This has to be one of the gods' tricks. A pain induced dream. He just wants out.

"Really?" Pavlov asks. Loki stares at him.

"What?" Loki meows.

"You want to leave that badly?" Pavlov asks.

"Get out of my head!" Loki hisses.

"I'm not," Pavlov says. "I have pre-cognition."

"Why the hell does a mutt have that?" Loki meows, agitated. Pavlov yips and scampers over to Alex's feet.

"That's how familiar's work on Earth," Alex explains, putting a bowl on the floor in front of Loki, kneeling down, and fills it with milk. The description sounds more elfish or dragon-like than human. "It's a blood oath. They gain the ability to transform from me, and a magic ability that is unique to them. It's why Pavlov won't shut up. He likes guessing what's going to happen."

Loki just puts a paw on the bowl and tips it over, getting milk all over Alex's heels and floor.

"AH!" Alex gasps. Loki immediately can smell her anger and regrets it instantly. Pavlov yips and runs away, hiding. Alex grabs the scruff of Loki's neck, the safe spot to carry him without hurting him, and marches to the front door. Loki tries scratching at her, but she's holding him in such a way he can't get any good scratches. The front door slams open and she throws him out, him flying half way across the parking lot. The door slams shut before he hits the ground.

He cries out in pain as his shoulder hits the pavement hard. He gets up, hissing madly, cursing her with everything he has, though his magic won't work. He paces around, angry and screaming the only way a cat can.

After a good long night, he can see the clouds lighten, signaling the sun rising as birds begin to sing. _Annoying birds. Annoying Misgard. Annoying woman. Annoying Pavlov._

He stops at that last thought, focusing his attention at the window he's been glaring at. Chihuahua Pavlov is sitting on the sill, the window open.

"What do you want?" Loki demands. Pavlov tilts his head.

"I can't hear you!" Pavlov barks loudly. Loki growls, walking over. He sits below the window. He could jump up if he wanted.

"What do you want?" Loki demands.

"I'm just curious how long you'll stay outside. You can come back in if you want, you know?" Pavlov says.

"What about that damn human?" Loki growls.

"Alex? She opened the window a few hours ago. Even tried to get your attention," Pavlov says. "You just kept meowing and pacing. You're funny to watch."

Loki's fur bristles at that comment.

"You pathetic mutt," Loki hisses.

"Do we need to open the front door? Or can you jump in?" Pavlov asks. Loki thinks about it for a moment.

"I'll jump," Loki finally says. Pavlov nods and jumps back into the room. Loki takes a running start and leaps up, claws out, intent on clawing the curtains. To his utter dismay, the curtains magically lift out of the way. He flails as he flies through the air, hitting the plush carpet feet first and rolling.

"I thought cats were supposed to land on their feet," a bird tweets. He glares at it, only for instincts to take over and cower under the coffee table he surprisingly missed. The bird is a gigantic hawk, with scary claws and a tough beak, and eyes that match Alex's.

"Who the hell are you?" Loki hisses.

"Duvet," the hawk says. "I'm one of Alexandrite's familiars. My power is power of air."

"Of course, you're a bird!" Loki hisses. Suddenly a torrent of air pushes against him, forcing him to slide against the carpet.

"Alex!" Pavlov yips, running across Loki's vision. The winds stop.

"Alexandrite," Duvet greets the human by her full name.

"Mor-ning," Alex yawns. She meets Loki's eyes and smiles.

"Welcome back, kitten," Alex says. "Don't make a mess and I won't throw you out again. Deal?"

Loki glares at her, before nodding finally.

"What's your name?" Alex asks.

"Loki," Loki says after a moment's hesitation. She just looks at him, a mix of amusement and surprise.

"Thee Loki?" a new voice asks. He flips around, searching for the owner. He finally locates an iguana on the top of the couch. It takes him a moment more to realize this is not the room he was in last night. The only thing similar is walls. They're white, but covered in glass.

"What?" Loki hisses.

"As in the Norse god that attacked New York a few months ago?" the iguana asks.

"What do you know of me?" Loki demands

Suddenly, there's a large rectangle on one of the walls, showing TV clips of the attack. He realizes the glass walls _are_ computer screens. He studies the clips for a moment, the reporters saying something about it was an extraterrestrial invasion by a Norse god called Loki Odin's son.

"That was I," Loki finally admits, finding the information only halfway interesting.

"So you being a cat is punishment?" the iguana asks.

"Yes," Loki admits, looking around.

"Damn," Pavlov says, surprising Loki by swearing. He didn't think the pup had it in him. The TV turns off. "You can't become a familiar for Alex! Oh well! You can still be family! But it's fun being an animal! How is that punishment?"

"Family?" Loki reels at the word. It's still a fairly sensitive subject.

"Yup!" Pavlov yips. If a dog could smile, he would be.

"He was a god," Alex says, sitting down on the couch, with a steaming mug of coco. The smell reminds Loki he hasn't eaten properly in a few weeks. "He can't use his magic. He's thrown into a live he doesn't know how to cope."

"Ooooooh!" Pavlov says, jumping up and sitting next to Alex, transforming into a midsized shaggy blue-black dog. Alex reaches up to the iguana.

"It's alright, Bear, I doubt he'd eat you. Or you, Duvet," Alex says, rubbing the iguana's, Bear's, neck. Bear transforms into a chameleon, not bigger than Alex's hand. The giant hawk transforms into a rather small, but very colorful parrot. She looks over at Loki, and then holds out her mug. "Want some?"

He just looks at her, stuck between leaving this crazy place and being intrigued _because_ this place is crazy magically. He can tell she's completely human, not a drop of any other blood type. Yet her magic reacts like a different species entirely. And how her family contains _animals_. While it's true they're her familiars—all of them—it's a strange concept for a human. From Loki's experience this last month, her species doesn't care about animals. Period.

Hunger and thirst finally win and he walks over, jumping onto her lap. She holds the mug so he can just lap it up. He relishes the warmth and tastes. It's not hot enough to burn him, but not yet room temperature, which is very relaxing for his throat. As for the taste… nothing in Misgard could compare to Asgardian food. But for Misgard, it's alright.

He completely doesn't realize she's scratching his neck and ears until he hears himself purring. A sound he knew he could produce as a cat, but was never able to. Then again, he hasn't been this comfortable, relaxed, and genuinely happy since his childhood.

"So, do you plan on staying?" Alex finally asks, studying him. He looks up at her.

He nods.

She smiles.

_At least this will be entertaining._


	2. Bath Time!

um, Alex is nondescriptly naked to take a bath with cat Loki... not a real warning...

Thanks everyone for your support.

* * *

Cat Loki stands on the coffee table, careful of mug that once contained hot chocolate. He fell asleep on Alex's lap, only to wake up curled up with Pavlov, who transformed into yet another dog breed—Pomeranian, he thinks. The lizard, Bear, the bird, Duvet, and the human woman named Alexandrite are nowhere to be seen. For all the stories he's heard of dogs hating cats and reverse, he was sure surprised at how comfortable Pavlov was, and how nice he smelt.

What woke him was the bodily need to urinate. But he remembered Alex's promise not to make a mess. If he did, she'd literally throw him outside again. He looks around, finding five doors and the window, he has no clue what to do. He figures the best thing to do is what he has done for the last month since he's been cursed as this cat. He jumps out the window and takes care of business outside.

He jumps back on the ledge, looking around. He decides to explore his new, yet temporary, home. The only problem is the doors. He sits at one, looking up at the handle. He has no idea how to open it.

"Push," Pavlov half yawns. Loki puts a paw on the door and gently pushes. It swings open.

The first thing he notices is the floor is tiled navy blue in some places, black in other, magenta in others. It reminds him of the night sky at sunset. He walks around, realizing the white rug is just as comfy as the carpet in the other room. The counter is made of a dark wood. He jumps up and realizes the counter is granite, with an ivory sink and from the taste (he licked them) the faucet and handles are pure silver. Other than the sink, nothing else on the counter is recognizable, except the mirror. Just a bunch of bottles and a hair singer and chemicals.

Curiosity would point him to figuring out what they are, if his reflection didn't catch his eye. He sits in front of the mirror, curiously examining himself. His fur is matted with old blood. He is completely black, in some lights there is a tint of blue. His eyes are emerald green. Even to him, they're piercing.

He releases a breath he didn't realize he was holding. Odin cursed him to this form. The form of a pest. An ugly form. He tears his attention from the mirror to distract himself with something—anything—else. In his hurry, he accidently knocks into a bottle of who knows what. It tips over, and then rolls to the edge. He hurriedly tries to grab it, to avoid making a mess, only to realize how useful thumbs are.

He only succeeds in knocking it off.

He flinches, waiting for the crash.

It never comes.

Bravely, he looks over the edge. He starts, realizing the bottle is floating in midair. He stares at it, not really sure what to do.

_Move_. That simple thought echoes in his mind, completely unfamiliar to him. He carefully moves out of the way and the bottle floats back into its original place.

He jumps off the table and then pauses, looking around. There are five white doors. He has no clue which one is the one he came in from. He tries the first door. Toilet. The next is a gigantic bath. He dares not use it, not wanting to risk making a mess though he desperately wants to clean his fur. The next is a massive shower. He counts half a dozen shower heads. The next has some machines he doesn't recognize. Piles of clothes cover the floor though, so he assumes this is where the servants do the wash.

If Alex has servants, that is. It kind of bothers him he hasn't seen any other humans. Does she not have family?

The final door leads back to the room with the couch. He walks over to a different door and pushes on it. It's the original room he was in last night, the one that leads outside. He vaguely remembers where the kitchen was from there, and if physics still works, what door in the couch room should lead him to the kitchen.

He is correct. The room is large, even shinier in the daylight. He goes to the fridge and gently pushes the door. Nothing happens. He pushes it harder. Nothing. He head butts it and succeeds in giving himself a headache.

"What would you like to eat?" Duvet asks as an owl sitting on top of the fridge.

"What is there?" Loki responds.

"Everything you can imagine," Duvet replies. "Simply put a paw on the door and think about what you want."

Loki obeys, thinking of something simple, like the mug from earlier with hot coco in it. There's a ding across the room and he looks over. Sitting on a counter top is the mug with hot chocolate. He thinks of a large roast. There's a ding from another place, and the roast he was thinking of is on a table. He finally remembers the milk from last night. There's a chime and the bowl appears next to him.

If thinking of food didn't make him hungry, he would have continued because, even if it's not his own, he is using magic. The idea just makes him slightly giddy. But at that moment, his stomach growls in a painful way. He saunters over to the milk and laps it all up. Once done, he jumps up and eats part of the roast. It taste just like he imagined.

He looks around for Duvet, only to find the bird is long gone.

Curiosity gets the better of him and he walks up to a random door, pushing it open. It leads to a room with a bunch of tables with magic tools on them. He jumps on a table and realizes there are a bunch of scrying tools. He's about to jump to the next table when something catches his eye. The tool for locating whatever you're scrying for is a ruby smaller than his eye. The chain is silver.

It's strange because class one mages in any realm have to use diamonds, typically as big as their hands, with gold chains. To use a silver chain, you have to be a level two, and really good at it. The small size makes him think she is a level five scryer, like he is—_was_.

A level five of anything is the second highest level. A level zero is godly, or kingly, to a species. While the humans consider the Asgardian's gods, there still is a magical hierarchy amongst them as well. The closer to the Royal family you are, the higher level of magic you can use.

That info confuses Loki. This Alex person. Humans lost their royal lineages a long time ago. They lost their magic a long time ago. Why did Pavlov say Alex was a level one mage, when her tools dictate otherwise? And why are her tools so specific?

And what the hell was that flying bottle about?

Loki shakes his head, chiding his mind for sounding like the annoying mutt. He jumps to another table. Instantly he recognizes runes. He has no clue what they are from. With all the confusion about this _Alex_ and her weird magic confuses him. So he engrosses himself in trying to decipher them.

* * *

And that is why, two hours later, Alex wanders in from a different room to find Loki studying the runes. She loudly sits down in the chair at that table, making sure he knows she's there. She rubs his head, scratching his ears. Instantly he starts purring, eyes drooping. If it didn't feel so good he would hate how it stops him like this.

"You know Egyptian?" Alex asks. He shakes his head no. "You were looking at them pretty intently." They sit there in silence for a moment as he goes back reading them. Maybe knowing their name will help. "You need a bath."

He looks up at her, raising an eyebrow. He meows indignantly and tries to fight as she picks him up, informing her he can walk on his own. She just laughs. Soon, they arrive in the room with the huge bath and she puts him down. To be honest, it looks more like a pool, having been cut out of the floor. And it's got to be bigger than any of the other rooms.

"Impressive?" Alex asks. Loki looks up at her and slips. He was not expecting her to be _naked_. He's seen naked women before, but that was only when he _wanted_ to. "What? I don't want my clothes to get wet unnecessarily. And I need to wash my hair."

"BATH!" Pavlov shouts, springing out of nowhere, jumping in the bath-pool thing, splashing everyone. Loki hisses at him.

"_Pavlov_, please," Alex whines. Pavlov just splashes around, eventually swimming into a mist. Loki realizes he can't actually see the other edge. _Magic_? He ignores her confusing magic. Alex gets in, putting a tray on the water. It floats. And has shampoo and conditioner and cloths and soap and stuff.

He walks over to the edge and realizes there are stairs. He steps down onto one. The water comes up to his stomach as he stands there on all fours. It's not that bad of a feeling. Alex chuckles.

"I was afraid I would have to drag you in," Alex says, her short black hair cascading around her in the water. He just looks at her, confused. "A cat that actually likes water… I guess it makes sense, since you're not actually a cat."

He actually swims over to her. She giggles, it becomes uncontrollable when he bats her nose.

"Stop being so cute and I'll stop laughing," Alex says, trying to control herself. If cats could blush, he would be. He has been called many things, but 'cute' is not one of them. He doesn't really know what to think about it.

Finally controlling herself, Alex reaches out and scratches Loki's ears again. He purrs lightly, vaguely realizing she is actually rubbing the caked blood and dirt off. She tries to get as much off as she can before using soap. She eventually has to.

After he's clean, he lazily floats around as she cleans herself, watching with mild interest as cleaning herself exposes random scars.

Before he even gets mildly interested in her body, Pavlov jumps out, shaking himself off, sending water everywhere.

"Hey!" Alex shouts. Loki hisses his dismay. Pavlov just walks out, like he didn't hear either of them. "That dog. Sometimes I wonder about him."

"How'd you meet?" Loki asks idly.

"He was a newborn pup when my neighbors house caught fire. They were able to rescue him, but only long enough for him to almost die in my arms," Alex explains, getting a far off look. "He accepted my offer to be my familiar. He's been like that since his birth."

"Who are you?" Loki asks, earlier confusion surfacing.

"Who am I?" Alex asks. "Uh… my full name is Alexandrite Rayne Terra? Want my lineage?"

"No," Loki responds, shaking his head. "Why?" He pauses, she waits. "Why do you have three familiars? You have to be a level five mage for that. It doesn't make any sense. And then there was your scrying tool. At least level five as well. Pavlov said you're a level one mage. Why don't your tools match your level?"

"What do you understand about magic?" Alex asks, locking grey with green.

"Everything," Loki responds as if it's obvious.

"If that is truly how you feel, you know nothing," Alex says, swimming over.

"Asgard has the best libraries in all the realms!" Loki snaps, swimming to the edge, trying to not let her pick him up again.

"You rely on books for magic?" Alex asks, her voice light. He gets up on the tile floor. He stops and cocks his head, confused, as he registers what she says. _Magic has to use books, right?_

Everything goes white as a plush towel falls on him, stealing his train of thought. He eventually makes his way out, only to find Alex in a dark bra and booty shorts. She swoops him up in the towel, laughing. She dries him off as he struggles. He eventually makes his way out, landing hard on the tiles, and speeding out.

He goes through a bunch of doors before finding an acceptable place to hide. Under her bed.

He waits a half hour before coming out, convinced she won't be torturing him any time soon. He wanders around the room, only to find there is only the bed and a nightstand. He climbs on the bed, intent on scratching a pillow, before an invisible force pulls him into the pillows. He scratches around for purchase, to stop himself from being eaten by pillows, only for the force to pull him farther in.

After a few minutes of struggling, he stops moving, hiding his claws again. The tension on him vanishes. He brings his claws out, the tension pulls. He sheathes his claws again. Tension gone. He deduces that this is some defense spell to keep her bed from being ruined.

Slowly, careful not to spring the spell again, he crawls out from under the pillows. _By Odin, how many pillows does she have?_

Eventually, he is free and sits on the opposite end as he counts. Twenty-four. He looks at the bed itself, comparing it to her body. It's big for a human, almost as big as the Asgardian beds are. Since he will be living here for a while, he figures it would be fun to get to know about her magic.

_For her magic_, he swears. He tries to deny the voice tugging at him. The one that says he actually wants to get to know her as a person. He laughs at the absurd idea. She's a mere mortal and he's the god of mischief!

Well, he was. He's a cat right now. But he'll find a way around this.

As he jumps off the bed, he idly wonders if this magic she uses could break the spell on him.

He eventually finds himself back in the kitchen. Alex is in there. Unfortunately, she spots him before he can leave.

"Loki!" Alex says. He hides under a chair. "I'm going to give you your own room. Follow me." She walks out with him close behind. They're in the white room, with the couch in it. She stands in front of an empty wall and pull some chalk out of who knows where.

"What would you like in it?" Alex asks as she draws two lines that reaches from the floor to the ceiling.

"A bed, a smaller bath, food and water bowls, a place to relieve myself, a place to relax in the sun, a scratching post, plenty of toys," Loki meows, noticing how she writes them all in that rectangle.

"Anything else?" Alex asks.

"A crown?" Loki asks, not knowing what spell she's using. She actually writes that down. Then she places both hands on the wall and whispers a spell. The area between the lines glows and forms a door.

"There," Alex says, stepping back. "I have a date in a few. Go ahead, have fun in your room."

Loki ignores her as she walks off. He nudges the door open. He gasps, walking in. Everything he asked for is in there, made out of fine material. There's even a crown that would fit his head. After struggling to get it on, he walks over to the bath and looks at his reflection.

A cat king. He chuckles. Cats don't have kings.

He hears a door click and runs back out. He finds her conversing in the front room with a big blonde man. He hides, at first thinking its Thor. Then he realizes the voice isn't deep enough. He shows himself as they laugh.

Annoyed they don't immediately notice him, he hisses. Loudly. It grabs their attention.

"A black cat?" the random guy asks.

"Of course, I'm a witch silly," Alex laughs.

"Ah, so you've cast a love spell on the awesome me, you naughty girl," the man flirts and winks. Loki feels like coughing up a fur ball at how tacky the guy is. "I'll have to punish you tonight."

"Only if you catch me," Alex says with a nervous undertone that Loki picks up on. She walks out.

_It's her own damn fault if she gets raped,_ Loki thinks before prancing back to his new room and playing with some yarn.


	3. To Fear or Not to Fear

warnings: none

Thanks everyone for your support.

* * *

Screaming. Loud, shrill, unrepentant screaming echoes as his entire room shakes. Cat Loki instantly shoots up on all fours, fur standing on edge. He looks around, confused. He finally remembers where he is as the screaming rings out again.

Loki darts out, having trouble navigating the doors that constantly change. After a few more screams, he finally finds Alex's bedroom. He jumps up on the bed, noticing her there, thrashing about, dripping in sweat.

"ALEX!" Loki hisses. She just twitches. He reaches out to scratch her nose before remembering at the last second that there is a spell on the bed. If he draws his claws, he'll be sucked under twenty four pillows.

And then Loki notices there are no pillows on the bed. They've all been thrown around the room. He takes his chances and jumps on her chest before scratching her nose.

She screams, shooting up, eyes wide, Loki being thrown into a wall. Luckily, he lands on one of the previously thrown pillows. Alex's expression is frantic as she looks around. He meows to get her attention and succeeds. She looks at him as her expression softens and smiles.

"Just a nightmare, kitty," Alex says, still panting. "Just a nightmare. I get them every night."

"Why?" Loki asks, walking over and jumping on the bed.

"It's the result of a magic spell I cast once," Alex says. She reaches over and scratches his ears. "Don't you fret. I'm alright. I'm fine."

"Can't you fix it?" Loki purrs.

"No," Alex says as she picks him up, still scratching his ears, and walks to the kitchen. She gets them something to eat the old fashioned way of physically pulling the food out verses the magic way of just thinking food into existence.

He happily eats as she looks through some internet thing in the glass table top. He assumes its internet. He also realizes every glass surface must be a computer screen.

"What are you doing?" Loki asks.

"Curiosity killed the cat," Alex says, taking another bite of toast. "I'm looking through the Board of Wonders."

"What?" Loki asks, tilting his head in confusion.

"It's a site that people post random one time jobs they need help with," Alex says. "I make my money by doing things for people."

"Magically," Loki asks curiously.

"Sometimes," Alex says, distracted, still looking. "I only try to use my magic when I need to."

"Novice," Loki chides, not liking how she's not paying attention to him. She needs to actually look at him when he talks. Let him feel superior, not like some stinking house pet!

And then he remembers he is one.

"I'm a master," Alex says. "And because of that, I have to use my magic very selectively. I have too many limits to be healthy."

"Pavlov said you're a class one," Loki interjects. He doesn't like how she's correcting him.

"How does the scale work where you come from?" Alex asks.

"Class one is the lowest, it goes up to five. And then class zero is godly," Loki explains like it's obvious. Alex giggles and shakes her head.

"Don't ever forget you're on Earth and our magic is different," Alex responds.

"So?" Loki replies, annoyed.

"We count down from ten for the average magician," Alex responds. Loki's eyes go wide as this means she's one of the elite. "Level one is master. After that there's the elite scale. I never bothered figuring out there scale since I'll never make it." Ok, so she's not elite. Just the top of a scale. He shakes his head.

"Human magic is weird," Loki replies as he rolls his eyes and jumps off the counter, walking away.

* * *

"What are you doing?" Pavlov asks, a Dalmatian right now. He looks up as cat Loki sits on the window sill.

"Alex said she's going to be gone a few hours," Loki says. "It's already been twice that."

"Eh," Pavlov shrugs. "She'll be back before nightfall. Need her for something? I can get you anything. Don't worry. I know how to take care of things! Wanna read-"

"I'm bored," Loki interrupts the mutt, knowing if he doesn't the mutt will keep blabbering. Pavlov has been blabbering all day since Alex left, not leaving the Norse God—_cat_—alone for a single moment. He's already watched every channel on TV, listened to every piece of music since forever, played every online game, and scanned a bunch of random websites before he got bored.

"Wanna play a game?" Pavlov asks.

"No," Loki stresses, tail waving behind him.

"Wanna watch a movie?" Pavlov asks.

"Aren't dogs supposed to like being outside?" Loki asks, a bit surprised Pavlov hasn't asked that yet.

"I can't go outside without Alex," Pavlov says.

"Why not?" Loki asks, looking back at the pup. If cats had eyebrows, his would be raised.

"It's the way these magic rooms work," Pavlov says. "And that I'm her familiar. I'm bound to this place unless she summons me."

Every other word made sense to Loki. That isn't how magic works. He shakes his head.

"I'm going for a walk, I'll be back by nightfall," Loki says, only after hitting the ground softly does he wonder why he felt the need to inform that damn mutt of his plans.

He makes it two blocks away before getting run over by a car.

* * *

Loki wakes up a few hours later, with a very bright light above him. He vaguely registers it's a street light before he hears one of those blasted blaring horns. He scurries off, narrowly avoiding those devil wheels.

He wanders the dark alley before finding a stray dog digging around in some trash can. Loki rolls his eyes.

_How did I manage this before Alex? Oh right, I didn't_, Loki thinks as the dog starts barking at him and chasing him halfway across town before the dog gets hit by a car. Strangely, the car stops. Loki watches as the human panics and calls someone.

Shortly, animal services show up and take the stray dog away.

_Why the hell did they never do that for me?_ Loki demands, hissing. He wanders the alleys, cursing out all of humanity and then the Aseir. It's only after he calms down a bit he realizes it would cause a problem if a dead cat came back to life. It would cause chaos—oh glorious chaos.

It's then when he looks around and notices he has no clue where he is. It looks like the edge of town. In just over a month that he's been here, he never quite made it to the edge of town. He doesn't give it a second thought as is means freedom.

He bolts off, relishing in the freedom from the damn humans, those damn cars, that damn Pavlov. He slows down in a clearing, looking back for a moment surprised that he feels lonely for leaving them. Then again, he didn't die every few hours, had shelter and food. He even could get cleaned up.

He looks at the dirty woods around him, then thinks about the ever so clean and crisp magic place Alex provided him. He decides to go back. He chastises himself for feeling happy about the decision. But then he reminds himself of a plan that is sitting in the back of his mind to use Alex and her magic.

Perhaps she can reap some chaos. A Cheshire smile crawls on his face as he thinks about the glorious chaos she could cause. She had said something about her familiar shape shifting because of her. Oh to release shape shifting animals into the city. That would be enthralling. But he would have to start small. Slowly show her how chaos could be a very good thing.

He never saw the retched creature or registered he was flying until he hit a tree, back snapping. He hits the ground, letting out a long groan. He looks at his burning wound, hissing angrily. He looks around for the source and freezes.

Tall. Even taller with him as a cat. Grey brown skin, almost the color of dirt. Brown rusty amour surrounds the torso and head of the humanoid creature. Oversized claw like gun on a hand, sizzling blue.

Chitauri.

_So they have come to hunt me down… _Loki analyzes the situation. He's unable to feel his back legs. His front doesn't respond. He can feel blood caking his ears. Fear seeps into him as he realizes he can't escape.

A massive white cloud shoots past him, engulfing the alien as winds howl and something soft swallows him.

* * *

As cat Loki wakes up, the first thing he registers is that it's very warm. He snuggles into his pillow only to realize it is breathing. His eyes shoot open and he stands up, his body completely healed, and looks around desperately.

If the Chitauri captured… Pavlov. His pillow is Pavlov in gigantic wolf form. _I suppose someone did capture me_… Loki jokes dryly. He looks around and assumes he's in Alex's place, as the blue walls are covered in glass, but it's a room he hasn't been in.

Right now he is on wolf Pavlov, in a gigantic pile of pillows. _What the hell is up with these people and their massive amounts of pillows_? Around them are various chew toys, some shaped like bones, others as balls. There is a food and a water bowl and a place to relieve oneself. And the door.

Loki jumps off Pavlov, intent on using that door.

"Yay! You're awake!" Pavlov barks, jumping over and turning into a smaller and furrier, if that's possible, form of canine. Pavlov even manages to knock Loki on his side, pin him, and lick the poor cat's ears.

"Stop that you infuriating beast!" Loki hisses, scratching at the mutt. Pavlov gets out of the way of those claws.

"I'm just happy you are awake," Pavlov says, looking down like a beaten puppy. He even sounds like he's about to cry.

"Why?" Loki asks.

"I've never seen Alex so livid," Pavlov says.

"Why? Because I left without telling her? I was planning on coming back," Loki explains. Though he can't think of why he's explaining to a mutt.

"No, she's fine with that," Pavlov says, a hint of happiness in his voice, before he gets scared again. "That thing that attacked you."

"Why is she mad at it?" Loki asks, confused, feeling like he's missing the bigger meaning.

"_Because_ it attacked you," Pavlov says, looking away, putting a paw over his nose meaning he doesn't like what they're talking about. "She wasn't satisfied until it was torn to shreds and burned into dust. She's been dissecting their weapons."

"Wait, she's upset because _I_ was attacked?" Loki asks, very confused. Why would a lowly human who doesn't know him at all feel the need to be upset that he was attacked? Why does she care? Why is she treating him so nicely? She knows he's _the Loki_ that attacked the world intent on conquering it. And why does this little piece information, this nice gesture make him feel happy?

Oh, right, he wants to manipulate her and bring her into chaos with him. Right, can't forget his master plan. Push aside those feelings of guilt and have fun with the human. She apparently cares for him, so he should just use that to his advantage.

"So?" Pavlov asks. Loki doesn't realize until that moment that Pavlov hadn't shut up during Loki's inner monologue.

"What did you say?" Loki asks.

"You should go see her, she's in the smith," Pavlov says, nodding to the door.

"The what?" Loki asks. He knows humans don't have those in their homes in this time period.

"The smith! It's where she makes things without magic!" Pavlov says, running to the door. "Come on!"

Loki follows. He won't admit he's glad Pavlov is leading. He wouldn't have found the place until the next day if he tried to navigate the ever changing doors by himself.

They enter a room that looks similar to Tony Stark's shop, with cement walls, hanging lights, wires and tools scattered over a dozen tables. He notices quite a few technological projects. Before he can register what they are, he's lifted off the ground and held tightly against a surprising soft chest. He looks up to see teardrops in Alex's eyes.

"Are you doing alright, Loki?" Alex asks, her voice unsteady. How much she cares right now impresses him. He's never felt this much raw emotion at any point in his life. That, or the fact he's a cat and cat habits are getting to him. He starts to purr, nuzzling her neck, telling her it's alright.

"You wouldn't happen to know what that creature was, do you?" Alex asks, walking into a different room and sitting down on a round couch. If he was paying attention, he would realize the couch is cut out of the floor like a pit in the ground. In the center of the couch circle is a fireplace.

"It was a Chitauri," Loki says as she scratches his ears.

"What's that?" Alex asks.

"A creature that is part of the race I made a pact with," Loki explains. Thankfully, Alex doesn't interrupt his tale. "I asked for an army in exchange for the Tesseract. It's a very powerful energy device that belongs to my father. I lead them here as my army to conquer this meager, pitiable world. They would let me rule this realm if they got the Tesseract and they would go on to rule other worlds. They promised me they would hunt me down if I failed. And so they have."

There's silence for a moment as Alex sits there, digesting those words, languidly rubbing his neck. Loki asks the question he's most afraid of. "Will you toss me out? You'll be in danger."

She snorts and laughs. He looks up at her, not sure if he should be offended or grateful.

"Of course not," Alex says. "They use the darker side of the magic you are used to. Sure, it's not the exact same, but it's the same type. My magic can hide us all from them. Do not fret, kitty."

"How can you be so confident?" Loki hisses, and recoils as her expression turns sad from his tone.

"Loki, your magic deals with the spells, on knowledge, on control," Alex says. "Mine deals with the cosmos, the flow of the spirit, and of nature. These are two very different types of magic. And mine is well hidden… I guess hidden isn't the best word… but not well understood by the kind you are used to. The libraries of Asgard… they say this planet lost their magic a long time ago, right?"

"Yes," Loki responds, slowly understanding what she's talking about. While it makes logical sense, it goes against everything he's ever learned about magic.

"It wasn't lost. It simply evolved. As long as you stay with me, I'll show you how our magics differ, alright?" Alex says. "Do not worry, you'll be safe with me."

"I'm not worried about myself," Loki says.

"You're worried about me? When you are the god who attempted to take over this planet? Oh I must be dreaming!" Alex mocks.

"Not what I meant!" Loki hisses.

"Oh? So what did you mean?" Alex asks.

"I…" Loki is unsure of what to say. _Lie! Lie! Lie!_ His mind tells him. But he can't think of one, not when those grey eyes lock with his, searching his soul. "Shouldn't you be worried about yourself?"

"Oh, my dear Loki. You will see soon enough there is nothing to fear," Alex says.


	4. Watchers

Warnings: description of Loki's attack but it's not too graphic.

Thanks everyone for your support.

* * *

In the shining halls of Asgard's palace walks an irritated Thor. Heimdall summoned him away from a meal—not the best thing to do to the Norse god of thunder—to tell him something equally upsetting.

_The Chitauri are on Earth. They have found Loki. Inform your father of this. And that he was saved by Alexandrite. I recommend he informs you in total of Loki's situation._

Thor couldn't believe the Chitauri were on Earth. They needed a portal to get to Earth last time. They live too far away to have made it to Earth, to have gone that distance since Loki's attack. He has trouble fathoming how they could have pulled off this feat. While he isn't a magic master, he knows some limits of magic. They can't have pulled this off without a power source like the Tesseract.

And what in the name of Vahalla does a stone like alexandrite have to do with saving Loki? The magic curse Loki was put under prevents him from using magic, so even if he had such a rare a stone he should not have been able to use it. Why, then, did Heimdal say it saved Loki?

He enters the King's chamber, a grand golden room with various pillows and couches to relax in. At a table on the balcony Odin sits, reviewing some painting with Frigga, his wife.

"All Father, your son Thor has arrived," a sentry announces Thor's presence. Thor meets his parent's gazes.

"Welcome, my son," Odin says as Frigga gives her son a smile. "What do we owe the occasion?"

"I come with news from Heimdall," Thor says. Odin noticeably pales. Frigga squeezes his hand as he looks toward her for help.

"Please, sit," Frigga looks to Thor, motioning to a chair at the table. Thor obeys quickly, realizing something beyond his knowledge is happening. "What did he say?"

"The Chitauri are on Earth," Thor says. Figga gasps and covers her mouth with her free hand as Odin's eye goes wide.

"Loki! Is my son alright?" Frigga asks.

"They have found Loki," Thor says, and the happiness his parents were sharing fades. "He was saved by Alexandrite. Heimdall recommends you inform me in total of Loki's situation." Surprised understanding fills the gap.

"This would be wise," Odin says after a moment of silent communicating with Frigga. "What do you know about Loki's punishment, my son?"

"He was turned into a cat and cursed to live on earth, constantly healing," Thor says.

"Anything else?" Odin asks.

"No," Thor says, trying to not let his confusion show.

"And of his crimes," Odin asks.

"He nearly succeeded in destroying Joutenheim," Thor says. "He led the Chitauri to conquer Earth, Misgard."

"He usurped the throne of Asgard," Odin reminds him.

"That was merely by chance," Thor defends. "I had been banished, you had been touched with the Odin sleep. In such a case, the throne falls to him. He did not willing conquer it. His choices as King were not right, that I do not defend, but that was of situation, of consequence."

"I am glad you still love your brother," Odin says, a small smile on his lips. "It may just save more than just him."

"Father?" Thor asks, confused.

"If it was anyone else, we may have executed them for such crimes," Odin says. "But he, as I have told you, is the son of Laufey. Laufey was the king of Joutenheim. One thing you do not know is the magic that resides in you because you are of royal blood. Anyone outside of the royal family would have taken far more millennia to wield Mijlnor as you do. It is the magic that connects the royal blood to the realm. As long as the royal family remains, if that magic remains the world will not die. Loki is connected to Joutenheim in the same way. We cannot let Loki die, since we wish to re-establish good tides with Joutenheim. He was given the gift of regeneration, of not being able to die not as a curse, but as a blessing. To protect him. I knew the Chitauri would seek after him. As long as he is alive, they can find him. Every time he dies as a cat, their spell to find him would be broken and they must search again. Do you remember the attack on the prison the day before we banished Loki to earth?"

"Yes, they were Chitauri, I believe," Thor says, putting the puzzle pieces together.

"Yes. We never told him that though. That was then I realized he was not safe that here, that nowhere in this realm was not safe," Odin explains. "I trust his intelligence to hide on Earth. However, a human found him and took him in. This would not normally be a problem. A normal human lifespan would be far too long for the Chitauri to lock onto Loki's location. I do not know how they found him so easily. I will look into that."

"Tell him about her," Frigga says fondly, rubbing Odin's hand with a smile.

"This woman, who took Loki in, is named Alexandrite Rayne Terra," Odin explains. Suddenly the Thor has answers to his questions. "She is average by human standards."

"She's beautiful," Frigga say, looking at Thor. "Her hair is like the night sky with eyes as bright as the stars."

"Ever poetic, Frigga," Odin says. "She is a magician."

"A witch?" Thor asks. Odin shakes his head.

"Something is different," Odin says. "I have had Heimdall watching her and Loki, repeating to me and my advisor, Mimir, what transpires. She uses a different kind of magic. Heimdall can see Loki at all times, but when gazing into Alexandrite's house, he cannot see any details. Mimir cannot tell what kind of magic she uses."

"I was taught magic had been missing from the human realm for centuries," Thor interrupts.

"This is very true," Odin says. "The royal lineage of Earth was lost many centuries ago. There are many human families that have magic though none is significantly greater to the others, such as ours compares to commoners."

"And Alexandrite, she saved Loki from the Chitauri?" Thor asks.

"It appears so," Odin says.

"Sir, your advisor, Mimir, has arrived," the sentry interrupts, introducing a rather tall muscular man with graying hair. He appears even older than Odin, if that's possible.

"Welcome, Mimir," Odin says, waving his advisor in.

"Thank you, my king," Mimir kneels and then joins them in a seat at the table. "I have finished conversing with Heimdall about Loki's situation."

"And what have you learned?" Odin asks. Mimir closes his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath and then releases it.

"Alexandrite used a familiar and illusion spells to protect Loki," Mimir says, sounding as old as he looks. "The familiar is that of a canine, a dog. He has the ability to shape shift and it appears he has pre-cognition as well, the ability to see what will happen."

"What happened during the battle?" Odin asks.

* * *

_Earlier_:

As cat Loki wanders around, having gotten lost leaving Alex's place for the first time, he gets attacked by the Chitauri. He gets blasted into a tree. He hits the ground, letting out a long groan. He looks at his burning wound, hissing angrily. He looks around for the source and freezes.

Tall. Even taller with him as a cat. Grey brown skin, almost the color of dirt. Brown rusty amour surrounds the torso and head of the humanoid creature. Oversized claw like gun on a hand, sizzling blue.

Chitauri.

_So they have come to hunt me down… _Loki analyzes the situation. He's unable to feel his back legs. His front doesn't respond. He can feel blood caking his ears. Fear seeps into him as he realizes he can't escape.

Pavlov, in the form of an ancient gigantic snow wolf lunges at the Chitauri sentry, jumping out of the way of a blast, and capturing the creature in his mouth. The Chitauri howls in pain. Pavlov shakes it around like a doll.

Alex kneels next to Loki, using an invisibility illusion to keep them hidden, and wrapping the cat in a soft blanket that has been intertwined with healing and warming spells.

"Tear it to shreds," Alex orders menacingly. Her expression soft and calming as cat Loki stares up at her before passing out. He doesn't notice her overcoat is long and has symbols on it.

Pavlov drops the Chitauri, putting a large paw on its body and biting its arm, before pulling that arm off. Blood spatters as the Chitauri screams. It blasts Pavlov with the claw-gun thing and Pavlov jumps out of the way. It attempts to keep shooting Pavlov, but the dog gets out of the way, constantly weaving around the blasts, due to his pre-cognition ability. Finally, he gets close enough again to bite a leg, picking it up and constantly beating it to and fro into the ground.

The leg tears off, the Chitauri managing to get a blast on Pavlov, but it doesn't even faze him. He quickly clamps those massive jaws on around the armor and clenches, breaking everything down to the bones. He tears the body apart more and more.

"It's dead," Pavlov barks.

"Good," Alex says. "Gather burnables." Alex holds a hand out, rather awkwardly while holding unconscious cat Loki, and the torn Chitauri body is pulled into a pile. Pavlov tosses random burnable leaves and branches before Alex dumps a random can of gasoline on it and lights a match, watching emotionlessly as it burns to ash. She holds a hand out, controlling the flames, keeping them searing hot and blue. Eventually even the ash burns to nothingness.

"Do not worry, he is safe with me," Alex says as she curls cat Loki closer to her. With that, Pavlov turns into an itty bitty Chihuahua and leaves with Alex.

* * *

"Impressive," Odin finally says. "What do you make of her magic?"

"The magic she uses is nothing I have ever seen before," Mimir says. "It is neither human nor giant nor Vanir nor Aesir. I am analyzing it to see if it is elfish or dragon. When I watch her perform her magic, I can feel it is unusually strong, for a human. Whatever magic she uses, she is very accomplished with it."

"Thank you, Mimir, my friend," Odin says. "What do you make of her?"

"As I said, she is skilled in her magic," Mimir says. "She can protect Prince Loki for a while. She may eventually need help, but a few Chitauri seem to be no trouble for her."

"And her personality?" Frigga asks fondly. Thor can tell Frigga is very interested in this girl, if she doesn't already have plans.

"She is quick, precise and stern," Mimir says. "She knows the world around her and is fairly grounded in her decisions. She…" his voice fades, face contorting.

"Mimir?" Odin asks.

"She seems to know we are watching," Mimir says. "Heimdall suspected it a while ago. She looks up at us, smiling in that all too knowing way. As a matter of fact, after she rescued Loki, she said 'do not worry, he is safe with me'. We feel it was directed at us."

"Should we contact her? To let her know-" Thor begins.

"That is not wise," Mimir softly scolds. "Loki has stayed with her barely a few days. We need to continue watching what she does before we make contact. He might not stay with her long."

"But her magic-" Thor is cut off again.

"It is different and weak," Mimir says. "It would not benefit us in the least."

"But knowledge is something you seek, is it not?" Thor asks.

"True," Mimir says. "I will see what I can do."

"Understood," Thor says, then he looks at Odin. "Thank you father, mother, for informing me of the true purpose of Loki's banishment; and of this woman, Alexandrite."


	5. Lessons in Love & Hate

Warnings: none

Thanks everyone for your support.

* * *

Nothing to fear, except, perhaps, being thrown at the wall in the morning, and nearly going deaf because Alex's wakes up screaming from a nightmare. He crawls back onto the bed, sits on her chest, and scratches at her nose. She shoots up causing him to tumble into her lap. She sits there, staring, eyes wide and panting.

"Sorry, kitty… nightmares," Alex whispers.

"Why," Loki meows.

"I told you, a result of a magic spell I once cast," Alex says.

"Yes, yes, and you can't fix is," Loki meows. "Don't you ever get tired of waking up like this?"

"Nope," Alex says, pushing him aside and getting up. She stands up and clasps her hands above her head, stretching. This lifts her soft violet tank top, exposing some old scars on her hip.

"How'd you get those?" Loki asks, tilting his head curiously.

"Huh?" Alex asks, relaxing a little and looking down at him. He puts a paw on her hip.

"Your scars?" Loki asks, looking up at her.

"In a fight, how else?" Alex quips, almost laughing.

"What caused them?" Loki asks, trying to get her to be serious.

"Curiosity killed the cat," Alex says, gently flicking him on the nose. He scrunches up his nose, not liking it.

"So it wasn't a simple fight?" Loki asks, shaking his head. _Why does she insist on treating me like a cat? Oh, yeah, I am one_.

"You're clever," Alex responds, attempting to flick him again. He backs away. "No. It wasn't."

"And you won't tell me more than that?" Loki asks, meeting her gaze again.

"Nope," Alex says and takes a few steps toward the closet.

"Why not?" Loki responds, stopping her.

"There's got to be something about your past that you don't want me to know," Alex explains, she looks back at him. "Same thing with me."

"You don't want to share your past?" Loki asks, tilting his head again. He hadn't thought such simple scars would cause her to resist this much. It makes him even more curious to find out more.

"Obviously," Alex says, shaking her head.

"Why?" Loki asks.

"I told you—" Alex starts, as she takes a step toward the closet.

"Afraid of letting people in?" Loki asks, truly curious. She stops again. Perhaps if he could get past this barrier he may be able to use her later…

"Hey, kitty," Alex says facing him and pointing at him. "I'm your guardian. Not your friend."

Loki just sits there, a bit confused. He thought they were… _friendly?_ Apparently not.

"Good, now I'm gonna find a job for the day and stuff," Alex says, taking another step.

"Don't humans eat when they wake up?" Loki asks.

"Oh… yeah… breakfast… food… thanks," Alex says as she walks into the kitchen. Loki sits on the bed, shaking his head again before he follows her. There's a feast on the counter already. Alex sits in the middle of it all, legs criss-crossed surrounded by a few plates on the table, a few plates on her legs, and a few cups floating around her.

Loki just stares at her, impressed. He opens his mouth to say something when the door bursts open.

"ALEXANDRITE!" Pavlov bounds into the room in a gigantic wolf form.

"Whoa!" Alex shouts, throwing her hands out. Pavlov stops and tilts his head.

"What are you doing… eating?" Pavlov asks very confused.

"Breakfast," Alex responds like it's the most obvious thing in the world. Loki notices the confusion.

"What are you doing… awake?" Pavlov asks, just as confused.

"Loki woke me up," Alex says, pointing to the cat. Said cat jumps walks over to the fridge to get food. It appears in a bowl next to Alex and he jumps on the table.

"Loki woke you up?" Pavlov asks, front paws on the counter, panting.

"Yup," Alex says. Pavlov jumps on, transforming into a Chihuahua. He bounds over to Loki, who ignores him until said dog tackles him down. Loki hisses like mad as the bowl scatters food around. Pavlov licks Loki lovingly, until those claws show up.

"What the hell?" Loki demands.

"Alex is scary to wake up," Pavlov explains. "She has nightmares. Her screaming shakes the house. If I'm small she'll throw me into the wall—"

"I found that out the hard way," Loki meows.

"And if I'm big she shoots magic at me," Pavlov says, ignoring his interruption. "I've learned just to let her wake up shaking the house. And she normally forgets to eat. And you got her to eat! Thanks! You're awesome Loki!"

Loki opens his mouth to shut the dog up but freezes upon hearing his name. His look accidentally conveys gratitude, and that makes the dog shut up.

"Loki?" Pavlov asks, tilting his head to the side.

"Do you ever shut up?" Loki teases. He's glad to know he didn't misjudge the relationship with Pavlov—if you could really call him putting up with the mutt a relationship.

"Not really," Pavlov laughs. Loki looks up at Alex, who has been eating this entire time.

"You don't take care of yourself, do you?" Loki asks.

"I have Pavlov, Duvet and Bear for that," Alex says.

"But they're scared to wake you up," Loki nods toward Pavlov. "That's not any good."

"You're right," Alex says. "Fine. Payment for me protecting you is you take care of me momma kitty cat."

"Fine," Loki responds. Alex scoots back and pulls up a screen on the glass counter.

"Let's see, a good job to take you on would be…" Alex hums, looking through a list of postings.

"Aren't you going to wash the dirty dishes?" Loki suggests. Alex looks at him, a little put off, before waving her hands around. The dishwasher opens only to be full of dirty dishes. She waves and the flying dishes clamor into the sink. She waves and the dishwasher soap fills the slot and closes and starts. "You could be nicer to the dishes."

"I wasn't serious," Alex says, rolling her eyes.

"I was," Loki says, meeting her gaze.

"Why?" Alex responds.

"I don't take charity," Loki responds simply, like it's the most obvious thing in the world. Alex just shrugs and continues searching. Loki eats his breakfast.

"What exactly is that?" Loki asks.

"_Board of Wonders_," Alex explains. "If you're a magic person and have a wish that you want granted, ask someone on the board. They'll most likely grant it, in an effort to keep up their magic skills. Or get paid. Or for an adventure. Or all of the above. I should take you some time."

"That would be a good chance to learn more about your magic," Loki agrees.

"Sure," Alex says absentmindedly. Alex shouts a few minutes later, pointing at the screen. "HA!"

"What?" Loki asks.

"Found a job," Alex says. Loki reads it upside down.

"Stealing the declaration of independence?" Loki asks.

"No, that's a fraud, the one underneath," Alex says, moving her finger.

"Finding a piece to help refurbish an old car?" Loki asks.

"Yeah, a simple job where I can show you how my scrying works," Alex says.

"Couldn't you do that with this one?" Loki asks, putting a paw on another post.

"There are too many of those," Alex says.

"Too many to find one person?" Loki asks, confused.

"No, idiot," Alex says. "Look, it's in Manhattan."

"What about Manhattan?" Loki asks. Loki realizes it too late.

"It's where you attacked," Alex says, her tone implying a silent _idot_ at the end. Loki tries to push the feelings of guilt away.

"Oh," Loki responds plainly.

"You killed well over 200 people during your attack," Alex says. "Magically, I know that guy is dead. But there is no body, which is what his family needs. I can't help them…"

"Fine, do the one you picked," Loki says, a little put off.

"Done with your food?" Alex asks.

"Yes," Loki nods. She waves the bowl to the sink putting it in more gently. She jumps off the table and walks toward the door.

"Alright, let's find this—" Alex starts.

"Are you walking out of the house dressed like _that_?" Loki asks. Even for Midgardian standards, really small shorts and a tank top aren't normal wear. On Asgard, he'd call her a harlot. Alex stops and looks at her clothes.

"Fine momma cat, I'll change," Alex sighs and goes back to her room. She reemerges a few minutes later wearing dark knee high boots, black skinny jeans, and a leather jacket. Her hair is in a braid. Loki raises an eyebrow. "What?"

"That's Misgardian style?" Loki asks. Except for the pants being jean material, he would have expected the outfit to be on Asgard. It almost looks like something Lady Sif would wear. Animal hide top and fitting pants. And those _boots._

"What's wrong with it?" Alex asks, looking over herself.

"The boots," Loki says. They've got so many blades shoved in them he's surprised she can walk without a limp.

"They hide knives," Alex responds.

"And why do you need so many?" Loki asks, dismayed. He thought they were _only_ finding a missing car piece. It can't be that dangerous.

"In case I'm attacked," Alex says. Apparently it is. "You coming or not?"

"I suppose," Loki says, a bit hesitant. She reaches out to him. A moment too late he hears the click of the collar. "What is this death trap for?"

"It'll save your life," Alex says. "As long as you wear it, the Chitauri won't be able to find you."

"Oh," Loki says, not wanting to be grateful.

"And I'll always be able to find you," Alex says. "So accept it. You don't have much choice in the matter."

"Does it at least look good?" Loki asks.

"Vain much?" Alex says. She waves and the screen under him turns into a mirror. He looks at his reflection. The color is dark green with lighter green edging. He looks back at Alex, recognizing the design. Her jeans have the same dark green tone and lighter green stitching the pockets.

"Happy? Because I don't want someone there before me," Alex says.

"It will do," Loki says. Alex grabs him and ignores his protests as she walks off to the magic room.

Once to the table with the scrying tools, he realizes the computer shows a map of the planet. _Maybe Manhattan wasn't the smartest place to attack at… but it was the only place with a power source._

Alex puts him on a stool and picks up the silver chain with a tiny ruby in the end of it. The glass table has a picture of the piece they're looking for in the upper corner.

"So, how would you normally scry?" Alex asks.

"I would chant the spell and swing the tool around until it lands on the spot on the map where the thing I'm looking for is," Loki says, taking surprisingly well to the lessons. It's the only time he doesn't seem to have an attitude.

"Our techniques are similar," Alex says. She lets the chain and stone dangle for a moment, before spinning it around so fast it flattens out. It would sting to get hit by that. He can tell she's focusing very intensely.

Suddenly, while over North America, it flashes to life, then dissipates. The ruby glows red over that area. She clicks the map and it zooms in on North America. She repeats this process a few more times before she's located the piece in a junk yard about an hour away.

"Now do you see the difference?" Alex asks.

"I suppose," Loki says. "How will we find it once we get there?"

Alex responds by letting the chain swing like a pendulum. It glows and jerks, pointing at him. "When the object or person is close, it'll locate them like this."

"Wonderful," Loki says, appreciating this new magic.

"Would you like to go for a ride?" Alex asks.

"In what?" Loki asks, hesitant of Earth vehicles.

"I like to use my motorcycle for jobs like this," Alex says, picking him up. He doesn't protest this time. They end up in a room that looks like the smith, in that it has concrete walls and random projects strewn about. Various cars in various stages of refurbishing. At the end of the garage is a sleek motorcycle, a mix of black, silver, and dashes of dark green.

"You have a thing for green?" Loki asks.

"Ever read Harry Potter?" Alex responds.

"No," Loki says.

"It's a make-believe book about witches and wizards who go to a school for magic," Alex says. "They get separated into different houses. Apparently I'm a Slytherin, and their house colors are green and silver. I painted this when I was really into it."

"And Slytherins are?" Loki asks.

"Heartless, greedy, ambitious, loyal only to their own happiness, spoiled even," Alex says. Loki just looks up at her, mouth agape. "What?"

"You're joking, right?" Loki asks, believing it to be some sort of joke. The few days he spent here has shown him she's kind, not greedy, and generally nice. He'd never use _heartless_ to describe her though.

"No," Alex says, smirking. "What, you thought I was a soft pansy too, didn't you?"

"Too?" Loki asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Most people that confront me think I'm weak," Alex says. "While physically that might be true, I make up for that plenty with my mind."

"Not your magic?" Loki asks.

"That's just an extension of my mind. Now get in," Alex says.

"Alex, when I meet you, you were almost being raped," Loki says. "It is not odd for me to be surprised. Do not forget, you did call me your knight in shining armor."

"True, but that was because… well, I was in that situation to pick up knives known as _Fangs of Torrid_," Alex explains. "The idiot didn't even realize he had them. Magic people commonly use innocent people to transport magic goods to where they need them. Because the goods don't register on the innocent. Spells don't work if they don't _know_they're carrying them. But that guy was being manipulated, given extra strength inside the room. The caster was in there. So I got him outside and broke the connection. He was a simple minded idiot."

"So you could be carrying something for someone and not know it?" Loki asks.

"Not me," Alex responds.

"Why not?" Loki asks.

"My magic is too powerful," Alex says.

"Why?" Loki asks.

Alex responds by dumping him into a bucket in the motorcycle. She gets on and puts a helmet on. He looks around, noticing her biker outfit goes surprisingly well with the metal contraption, he later dubs devil, that she sits on. It even has some green in it.

The engine roars to life, scaring the living daylights out of him. He curls up in a pillow, eyes frantic. _What the hell is up with Alex and pillows_?

* * *

After immediately finding the piece in the junkyard, Alex and Loki return home. She puts the piece in the box and takes it to the post office. She locks him in the bucket on the motorcycle because pets aren't allowed in the post office and apparently the bucket will protect him, keeping the Chitauri off his trail.

Back at the house, they sit at the kitchen counter, looking through the list again.

"What about this one?" Loki asks. He points to a request for a temporary night shift guard.

"They want a normal person," Alex reads the post.

"Normal person?" Loki asks.

"Someone with fighting skills, who looks intimidating," Alex says. "If you haven't noticed, I'm barely even five and a half feet tall, kinda skinny but not in the right way."

"Not in the right way?" Loki asks, ignoring the fact she looks taller. Then again, he is smaller than normal so that might have skewed up his guessing.

"Hello, I'm surprised my shoulder blade doesn't poke your eye out when you sleep next to me," Alex says. He admits, while she does look thin, she doesn't look _that_ thin.

"Why would it?" Loki asks.

"Feel it!" Alex grabs Loki's paw and puts it over her shoulder blade. He can't feel it and he lets her know. She moves his paw around for bit, unable to find it. "Gods, I don't get enough food. I'm surprised I'm not skin and bones."

"Why don't you?" Loki asks.

"My magic takes up too much freaking energy. How do you think I keep up this place," Alex says, waving her hands around. "I feel like a pig when I eat too much. I have boundaries."

"Unlike Volstagg?" Loki asks, jokes a little.

"Who?" Alex asks, stumped.

"Volstagg," Loki says, having anticipated the need to explain. He's hoping he can get them one step beyond just guardian to friends. And by friends, he means 'usable magic weapon person'. "He's one of the warriors three. He eats and eats and eats. I'm surprised he hasn't exploded yet."

"Ha!" Alex laughs. "He's one of those people where you know the world is ending if he _doesn't_ have food around him?"

"Oh yes," Loki says, laughing with her. "The day he stops eating is the day Ragnarok happens."

"Rags of what?" Alex laughs.

"Ragnarok," Loki explains, laughing a little with her. "It's a prophecy about the end of the gods, the earth will be flooded, and a major battle will happen between my—I mean Odin!—Thor, Tyr, Freyr, Heimdallr and myself." She ignores him almost calling Odin his father.

"Really? It had your names?" Alex asks, that curious glint in her eyes that he likes to see. It means she'll believe anything he says, and his master plan is to use her. But first he ought to tell the truth, to get her to trust him, before weaving what he weaves best.

"Well, no," Loki says. "It was between the Sun, Moon, Fire, War, Guardian, and Chaos."

"Huh, sounds like one of mine," Alex says, taping her fingers thoughtfully.

"Your what?" Loki asks.

"You aren't the only ones who have prophesies," Alex says as counts on her fingers the words she emphasizes. "Earth has hundreds of forgotten prophesies. One predicts the fall of this world if the _guardians_ of this world can't win the _war_ waged by the _sun_ and _moon_. The world will _burn_ into _chaos_, and not of the kind you enjoy, if the guardians fail."

"How do you know I won't like it?" Loki asks, offended. "I am the god of chaos."

"Volstagg was a friend, wasn't he?" Alex asks, not waiting for an answer. "Don't think I can't feel your soul. As much as you say you hate Asgard and the Aesir, you hate being away from them more. You hate being unacknowledged by them, your father, your brother. You truly enjoy good things. There isn't anything wrong with a little chaos, nothing at all. But if Asgard were to fall, you'd be in so much pain."

He scratches her hand, hissing at her to stop.

"Hit a nerve, have I?" Alex asks, smiling at him in that mocking way. The voice in the back of his head says it's not mocking, simply understanding. "Fine, let's look at the postings."

She scans a few pages before finding one she likes.

"If you can't be a night guard, why did you say you could guard?" Loki asks.

"If I use my magic," Alex explains. "I am guarding you from the Chitauri, remember. If it's a job that doesn't require catching bullets and fighting bad guys, I can take it. Otherwise, I won't. Simple as that… Hey, a lost pet."

"You are not trading me for someone's pet!" Loki hisses. She's threatened to do that before.

"Of course not, silly," Alex says. "I won't give you up unless someone else is stronger and can protect you."

"Oh, lucky for me," Loki says, rolling his eyes.

"Well, you are a black cat," Alex says, sending a response to the post.

"Which means?" Loki asks.

"As my legends have it, black cats bring lots of luck," Alex says. "Or none at all. I can't remember actually."

"Oh no, I simply bring chaos," Loki banters. Alex laughs.

"Don't leave me out of the party," Alex laughs, picking him up and walking out. "Even with my limits, I can still be fun. What'll we torture, a bunch of mice?"

"Oh, my plans are much, much grander," Loki says.

"Sure they are," Alex says as they leave.

* * *

Finding the dog wasn't a problem. The chocolate lab puppy happened to get itself stuck in a rain gutter and no one could get it out. The parent's didn't want to call emergency services, so the kid stumbled upon the website and promised cookies.

Loki didn't know Alex didn't always demand cash as payment. The cat sits on the seat of the motorcycle, glaring at the cookies.

"Listen, Luke," Alex says, holding the boy's shoulders. He couldn't be more than ten, dressed in a simple white shirt and blue jeans. Brown hair framed his watery blue eyes. He's holding the bag of homemade cookies in his hands.

"Yeah?" Luke responds. He was so happy when Alex found the puppy, James.

"I'm going to use magic to get James out of there," Alex says. Alex takes the cookies and puts them on the bike next to Loki. "Not everyone understands magic, so I would appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone it was me."

"Ok," Luke says.

"Now, I'm going to need your help," Alex says. She puts the cookies on the motorcycle dashboard. She takes his hands and folds them together in a special way. "I would like you to think about all the happy times you've had with James, pretend you're holding them in your hands. And could you repeat his name. Can you do this for him?"

"Yes!" Luke nods his head vigorously, and begins chanting the name.

Alex walks over to the drain, lies down, magically pulls apart the grate far enough for the puppy to go through, and reaches in. Within moments, she has James and is handing him to Luke, the grate back to normal.

"JAMES! JAMES! JAMES!" Luke shouts, hugging his puppy to death. He thanks Alex before running off and heading off.

"Heartless?" Loki asks, as Alex dumps him and the cookies in the bucket.

"What? For less than an hour of my time, I get amazing homemade cookies," Alex shrugs. They appear at her place momentarily.

"You didn't really need that kid to chant, did you?" Loki asks, letting the answer go.

"Not really," Alex says as she closes the door behind them.

"Then why?" Loki asks.

"To show you the simplest bond," Alex says. "It was a lesson in love. Yes, the kid provides shelter and food for that dog. But he also provides happiness and love. The basis of friendship is love, you know? Unless you can get rid of all of your love you will never be able to conquer this world. Oh, here's a hint. You're lathered in it. Simply dripping with it. You don't really hate them. Until you figure that out, you won't be able to use my magic."

"I won't be able to ever use your magic," Loki says angrily, jumping away. "I'm cursed as an ugly cat, remember?"

"You're beautiful Loki," Alex says. "You have absolutely no idea how jealous of you I am."

"You're jealous of a damned cat! You know nothing! You vile mortal!" Loki hisses sauntering off.


	6. Monster Under the Bed

warning: language?

Thanks everyone for your support.

* * *

When Loki didn't come out of his room for two days, Alex got a little worried. Unsure of what to do, she knocks on his door.

"Loki!" Alex calls. No response. She opens the door.

"Why are you coming in?!" Loki demands, hissing up a storm. Again.

"You know I technically own this place," Alex says, looking around for him. She finally finds him underneath a pile of pillows. She goes over and kneels next to him. "If you want me to apologize for something, I will."

"Just go away!" Loki demands.

"How old are you? Because you're acting like a toddler," Alex says lightly, like she's trying not to laugh.

"Shut up!" Loki demands. Alex waves a hand and all the pillows fly to the ceiling, leaving cat Loki exposed on the carpeted floor. "I'm allowed to sulk, aren't I?!"

"Well, yeah, but it's been two days," Alex says. "Honestly, if I need to apologize I will."

"You're just an idiot," Loki hisses.

"How?" Alex asks, trying not to get offended.

"You're jealous of a damned cat!" Loki hisses.

"Do you really think of yourself as a cat?" Alex asks.

"What?" Loki meows, confused and raising an eyebrow.

"Do you really think of yourself as a cat?" Alex repeats.

"What's it to you?" Loki hisses.

"Because I'm protecting Loki, an Asgardian, from the Chitauri," Alex says calmly. "If you're consigning yourself to defeat, then there isn't a point in me protecting you, is there?"

"What?! Is that why you refuse to look at me as a cat?!" Loki hisses, fur standing on edge. "Right now I'm less than you! Why do you treat me as an equal?! You go far enough to say you are jealous of this lowly creature!"

"Because you are an equal, if not greater than me," Alex says, confusing the hell out of Loki.

"Right! With the powers I once had, I tried to enslave your pathetic race, to conquer your world! You think I'm an equal?! How dare you insult me you vile human!" Loki hisses.

"Whatever," Alex says. "Trust me, you are greater than you know."

"Fuck you!" Loki hisses.

"I'm not getting anywhere with this," Alex says, shakes her head. Loki scratches her wrist. "Ow!" Alex quickly holds her shirt sleeve against the wound and stands up. "Yeah, you can sulk in here all you want. I won't apologize if you won't." With that, she gets up and leaves.

"Good! Stay away you vile creature!" Loki hisses. He paces around, cursing out Alex, cursing out the pillows still attached to the ceiling. He walks over to his bath and sits there, staring at his reflection. He starts hissing at it as he splashes it, breaking it up.

He paces around again, hissing nonsense. After a while, he goes back to the water. It has calmed down.

"Why the hell is she jealous of a cat?" Loki asks his reflection. It just stares back up at him. He examines his sleek black fur, and those piercing green eyes. "She thinks I'm beautiful." He just looks at his reflection, trying to see it. "I guess I am for a cat… but this form is nothing to how I was previously." He smashes the water again before walking out and trying to find her.

After going through every room in this blasted magic house, Loki ends up in the pit couch room. He finds a small fire going in the firepit and she is lying on a couch, reading a book. He sits on the couch back, waiting for her to notice him.

"Alex," Loki finally meows, not being able to handle the tension.

"Yes?" Alex responds, not taking her eyes off her book.

"Why do you think I'm beautiful?" Loki asks.

"Because you are," Alex responds.

"This form is nothing compared to who I used to be," Loki meows.

"While your form is nice, your soul is more beautiful," Alex says, still not looking at him. It's beginning to annoy him.

"My soul?" Loki asks, trying to hide that annoyance. While he's used soul magic before, it was never important.

"It has struggled through so much," Alex says. "When you're able to find peace in my home, your soul is so warm it reminds me of happiness. And I'm glad I can help you find happiness."

"So this jealous beauty thing has nothing to do with me being a cat?" Loki asks.

"I'm jealous you can find that happiness," Alex explains.

"Why?" Loki asks.

"Because," Alex finally looks at him. "I don't have that same peace. I'm trying, but I just can't find it. If I can help others find it, I will."

"You seem pretty peaceful to me," Loki meows. "Except your nightmares."

"_Those_," Alex rolls her eyes. "What I would give for a peaceful night's sleep."

"Why can't you get rid of them?" Loki asks.

"Please don't ask," Alex says, anxiously.

"Why?" Loki asks, surprised at her reaction.

"Because it's too personal," Alex says. "There are some things you can't tell me, right? Well, because of my magic, I won't be able to have the freedom to hide it like you do. I guess I'm jealous of that too."

"What magic?" Loki asks. Alex sighs, buts her book down on her chest and meets his gaze.

"I can't tell lies," Alex says. Loki lifts an eyebrow, cocking his head to the side.

"Why not?" Loki asks. He knew she was an honest person, never sensing a lie from her. But if there's a magical reason for it…

"I magically gave up the ability to lie," Alex hesitates.

"Why?" Loki can't fathom why anyone would do that.

"I exchanged it for something," Alex says.

"What can possibly be reason enough to exchange the ability to lie?!" Loki asks, very confused.

"To be a technopath," Alex sighs. "It's awesome. It's not one of my natural talents."

"What are your natural talents?" Loki asks, still confused. He knows a technopath has a magical way with technology, but he doesn't see the draw in it.

"Because I'm a Terra, I can heal, and am adept with plant magic. They're a family of healers and protectors," Alex explains. "I personally have the ability to transform. I can use illusion and other basic magic."

"And you needed to be a technopath?" Loki asks.

"No, just wanted," Alex says.

"You are one weird creature," Loki meows. Alex laughs.

"Yeah, so? There's nothing wrong with being weird or different," Alex says.

"Yes there is," Loki jumps down to her stomach.

"Why?" Alex asks.

"That's something I wish to hide," Loki meows, locking eyes with her as his tail waves behind him. Alex rubs his ears.

"You're embarrassed that you're different?" Alex asks.

"No," Loki meows.

"Scared?" Alex asks. Loki's tail pauses for a split second.

"No," Loki meows.

"Yes you are," Alex says.

"I am not," Loki meows.

"Yes you are," Alex says.

"I will bite you if you continue that," Loki meows.

"You will not," Alex says, slight tension in her voice.

True to his word, Loki bites her wrist, not too hard, but as he pulls back he notices a blood drop. Alex only notices it once he's licking the wound.

"Hell no!" Alex pulls her wrist away quickly.

"Why?" Loki asks. "Can't a cat apologize?"

"To make a familiar, I give a few drops of blood," Alex says. "I don't want to accidentally turn you into a familiar."

"And if I wanted to be?" Loki asks, looking at her. She goes back to scratching his ears.

"You would most likely lose everything you ever had," Alex says, a little worried.

"So, you won't share your magic with me?" Loki asks, a bit disappointed and confused.

"I never said that," Alex states.

"So you will?" Loki asks, a bit hopeful.

"I have no idea if a cat can use magic," Alex says. "Best not to tempt fate."

"What? Scared because I'm different?" Loki taunts, annoyed again.

"Nope," Alex says without missing a beat. Loki just stares at her. "My magic is very complicated. Besides, I'm teaching you little bits and pieces."

"You really think there isn't anything wrong with being different?" Loki asks after a moment.

"There's a difference between being different and trying to be different," Alex says. "Why?"

"Because…" Loki lays his head down, looking away from her. "I'm different."

"How?" Alex asks after a moment of silence.

"I want to hide it," Loki purrs.

"I'll make you a deal," Alex says.

"I'm listening," Loki purrs.

"Tell me why you're different and why it bothers you," Alex says. "And I'll tell you… Something about my past?"

"Anything more specific," Loki purrs.

"Sorry, silver tongue," Alex says. "That's up for you to decide. Is there anything you want to know?"

"Your darkest secret," Loki purrs.

"I won't tell you that," Alex says.

"Is there anything you want me to know?" Loki asks.

"Frankly, I'd rather keep my secrets to myself," Alex says.

"Yet you are so ready to tell one just to understand me," Loki purrs.

"Why not, you're an interesting person," Alex says.

"You're not afraid?" Loki purrs.

"Of what? You're not the monster under the bed," Alex says.

"Pardon?" Loki asks a bit shocked because the expression hits closes to home for him.

"You're not the monster parents tell their children about," Alex clarifies. He used that phrase in his demands against Odin. She can feel him tense up. She simply keeps rubbing his ears.

"I am," Loki hates this rollercoaster of emotions she's making him feel. "I'm a monster."

"What makes you think that?" Alex asks.

"I'm a… I am…" Loki tries not to say, but the feelings just well up. For some strange reason, he feels he can trust her. He decides to go with his instincts. "I am a Jouten…"

"I don't know what that means," Alex says plainly. She may never know how important that reaction makes him feel. She honestly doesn't know about the Jouten monsters. She doesn't have an opinion on them to instantly label on to him. It's a relief.

"I'm a frost giant, an enemy of Asgard and a creature that anyone in my family would destroy in a heartbeat," Loki clarifies. "Father would tell brother and me stories about our wars with them. They are the monsters. And I am one of them."

"But it's not your choice," Alex says. "So you don't have to be. You can choose to be—"

"I'm a monster!" Loki hisses, glaring at her. She just smiles at him.

"You didn't choose to be a monster," Alex says. "Yeah, you've done stupid things. But you're confused. You don't know what you're supposed to do. You are not a monster, Loki. Trust me."

"On what grounds?" Loki demands. Some reason he feels like he should just listen to her, but he refuses to without a reason.

"I chose to be a monster once," Alex says. "The nightmares are actually part of the punishment for that. I can't be forgiven. But you can. You've been given amazing self-healing powers and a nice disguise. You are not a monster, just because you've got Frost Giant blood. Blood doesn't mean anything to real family."

"What do you know?!" Loki hisses. She pushes down on his neck, locking eyes.

"I know I do not hate you, even when I watched you as you tried to take over my home planet," Alex points out, not letting his gaze leave her powerful one. "When I look at you, I see a lost soul I can deliver peace to. I do not see a monster when I look at you."

He just looks at her, unable to stop the pool of emotions that he has been ignoring. He misses the specific, the emotions are just too much. Tears slip from his eyes. He curls up as he quietly cries. She just silently pets him.

* * *

Cat Loki wakes up to find the iguana, Bear, lying next to him.

"Alex?" Loki asks.

"Lady Alexandrite was summoned by the magic council," Bear says. "She will return shortly."

"Magic council?" Loki asks. "She never mentioned a council."

"She has yet to tell you everything," Bear chirps. Loki concedes his point, also remembering Alex offered to show him how her magic works, not her world. Not for the first time he realizes how big of a gap is between him and the woman who protects him. He feels small and insignificant again, feelings he hasn't experienced since childhood.

"Why was she summoned?" Loki asks.

The door bangs open before he gets a responds.

"Shut it Bear!" Alex snaps. Bear remains quiet, turning into a small chameleon and turning into the color of the couch.

"Any reason why you don't want me to know?" Loki asks out of curiosity.

"Because you don't need to know!" Alex snaps. "Just because you're my charge doesn't mean I'll tell you everything…." Alex hits her head on the door frame. "Sorry. We were making progress. I will not chew you out. *bang* I will not chew you out." *bang*

"So I will never know how your insane world works," Loki states monotonously. He was happy with the talk they had earlier. It helped him more than he is willing to admit. And now, to go back to that distrust, it hurts. Alex chuckles.

"I don't even understand it all, but I'll keep trying," Alex says, shaking her head. They stand there in awkward silence for a moment. Alex walks to the bookshelf. "Let's start with the world's history?"

"Sure," Loki responds, accepting the topic change. Alex pulls out a massive old looking book and a smaller notebook. She sits down on the pit couch,

putting the bigger book on the main floor. She holds the notebook.

"This one has legends and myths," Alex says. "The other one has history. Like who belongs to what families and their spells, how to contact the cosmos, and more. I'd rather start with the legends. It's more fun."

"More fun?" Loki asks.

"Oh yes," Alex waves at the fire. It moves around. She opens the book to a page. "Ah, the creation of magic." The fire sparks like it's excited. "At one point in time, there existed a quite planet." Above the fire a glowing orb floats. It looks a little like a hologram made out of the fire. "On this planet, there was a man and a woman." Out of opposite sides two basic human shapes extend. One is more manly, the other wears a dress and longer hair. Both have their hands flat in front of them. Both are facing the top. "They loved each other dearly." Hearts form in their hands. "The problem, as cliché as it is, is that they were the best magicians on the planet. it's is said they created life itself. Their creations constantly came to them for help." Other figures stick out and clamor around the original two. The hearts leave the hands and float up to the top of the orb, touching. The people reach out to others.

"Eventually they got fed up with not having time for each other, so they created helpers who were more like their children: fire, water, electricity, air, earth, plants." A red, a blue, a yellow, a white, a brown and a green figures show up. The 'people' flock to them. "Finally they had time for themselves." The two original walk up to the top and hold hands and hearts. "And were finally able to have a child." The hearts melt into one, melting into a child's form, holding the parent's hands. "Eventually the darkness came and all the children went off and found their own place to stay." The orb and the people vanish, leaving the colored figures and the parents and the child floating around. "The child became the first princess of Earth. The other children rule in their own domains." The child melts into a sphere of Earth, with the blue water and the green continents.

"What happened to the parents?" Loki asks.

"Not sure," Alex responds. "Some say they died, that they were the first deaths on Earth. Others say they're still out there, watching over their creations of Earth. It's a tough job, with how much they've changed."

"They've changed?" Loki asks.

"Yeah, over time water split into three: into water, steam and ice," Alex explains. "Hundreds of millions of plants now exist. Maybe trillions. Various stones have been created. I'm not even going to magically explain where animals come from."

"Ah," Loki says. "So is there a moral to the story?"

"A moral?" Alex responds.

"Yeah, doesn't it have a moral? Like don't get too powerful, or careful of kids?" Loki asks.

"Nah, it's just supposed to be history," Alex says. "There are other legends that deal with creation though."

"And you're not going to tell because?" Loki asks.

"One a day sounds good," Alex says. "No need to overwhelm you."

"You're weird," Loki meows.

"And you love it," Alex flicks his nose, laughing.


	7. Ask the Right Questions

warnings: language?

Thanks everyone for your support.

* * *

For all Alex insists that her magic does not use books, the firepit room's walls are bookshelves. Two walls contain magic books, the others human literature like Harry Potter (which Loki read the entire series in two weeks and is convinced Alex is a Ravenclaw, not a Slytherin), Shakespeare, How to Kill a Mocking Bird, etc. The magic books mainly contain history, however he has found a couple spell books.

As for the spell books, Loki would tear them apart if he knew Alex wouldn't kill him—or worse, kick him out. The magic in these books fly against every law of magic he's learned over the thousand years he's lived. There's no way possible for magic to work like this!

And yet it does.

He's even asked Alex to show him. She can transform Duvet to wings on her back like an angel, levitate something so heavy no human can lift it, and create robots in her smith with simple spells. Yet blast energy, manipulating simple elements like water and fire take so much energy Loki nearly has to force feed her to rebuild that energy and make her sleep for more hours than necessary. The complete opposite of how magic should work!

Loki's given up on trying to wrap his mind around her weird magic after a month and tries to figure out the mystery that is Alexandrite. He finally asked her about her human friends. She blinked at him and said "Oh yeah, human friends" like it was something she hadn't thought of in ages. Luckily it has only been three months, and they had been busy so they didn't miss her much. And this is apparently normal and they're very forgiving.

Right now, three girls surround the table as Loki is invisible and sitting on the table in the busy food court in the mall. A brunette wearing sunglasses and an ironman t-shirt chats away on her Bluetooth earpiece. He's stayed a ways away from Cy. Not really by choice, it's just that she ignored him from the get go. The one with flaming red hair, some band t-shirt and the youngest in the group has been flirting with him and is currently trying to get him to sit in her lap. The blonde bombshell won't stop laughing.

"Cigam!" Alex snaps as she puts her food tray on the table. Cat Loki instantly scurries into her lap. "Molly, couldn't you have stopped her?."

"I'm sorry," the blonde says. "It's too funny. Cigam always knew she'd end up with a prince."

That's the other thing. He let it slip he's a prince of Asgard, and that's when Cigam started flirting with him.

"Mine," Alex says as she begins to eat the pizza.

"But you're dating Rockstar," Cigam responds. "I want the prince!"

"First off, I'm dumping that idiot tomorrow. Secondly, you do remember Loki is a banished prince, right?" Alex asks, condescendingly.

"I don't care!" Cigam responds. Loki's detest for her just went up even more.

"Get her away from me, Alexandrite!" Loki hisses. The others understand him because of some magic spell. Loki gave up trying to figure out when it was cast.

"You're the one that wanted to know my friends," Alex reminds him.

"Stop her!" Loki hisses and he presses into Alex as much as he can. Cigam has lifted a leg to try to pet him with her foot. Alex looks under the table at it before shaking her head.

"Personal bubble, Cigam," Alex scolds.

"But you let him in your personal bubble!" Cigam whines. "Besides, why are you hoarding him? You have a boyfriend! I don't care if you plan on dumping him!"

"Because I promised to protect Loki," Alex rolls her eyes. "And Rockstar is only a fling."

"Aw, you're still doing that?" Cigam asks.

"Doing what?" Cy asks, apparently only here for Alex. It's like she could care less about the other two or Loki.

"Dating guys just for sex and money and dumping their sorry asses when she's had her fun," Molly replies.

"I thought getting engaged cured you of partner jumping," Cy replies.

"Being engaged was just another game, she didn't last a month," Cigam replies.

"She's heartless, you know that," Molly replies.

"She's also sitting right here," Alex says rolling her eyes. Loki stares in disbelieve. This isn't the first time he's regretted asking to meet her friends. They're so blunt and he's found out more about them then he cares for. However, what he's found out about Alex is gold.

"You know we're just kidding," Molly responds. "I've got three guys and a girl hanging in my spells."

"You know you're not supposed to be using spells in romance!" Cy replies.

"It's a figure of speech," Molly replies, rolling her eyes. Her phone beeps from a text. "Oh, look, number 3. Hmmm. Should I go on a date with him tomorrow? Sorry, I've got a date with that chick over at Subway."

"You're spirit paths have never crossed," Cigam interrupts, looking at the employee in question. "How can you have a date with her?"

"Now they have," Molly gets up and walks over, flirting with the employee. The girls laugh. Cat Loki looks at them all like they're crazy hellions.

* * *

"I'm never asking you to do anything else again," Loki says as they walk into Alex's house.

"Aw, you had fun," Alex protests, putting the bags of items she's acquired—Loki honestly doesn't know if she stole stuff or bought it—on the counter.

"They're insane mortals!" Loki shakes his head, trying not to be scared for life.

"Hey, if you didn't like it, you shouldn't have asked for a bunch of witches to make the insect display case alive," Alex shrugs as she walks into the white room, cat Loki on her heel. She plops down on a couch and a tv turns on.

"There was a mortal who is allergic!" Loki hisses.

"Since when do you care?" Alex asks, raising an eyebrow.

"I had a reason! You witches were just doing it for fun! No good reason!" Loki hisses, pacing in circles around the pit couch. Alex just shrugs and walks into the smith.

"Again, since when do you care?!" Alex jibes back, rolling her eyes.

"You're just a hellion," Loki responds.

"You're just now noticing?" Alex giggles at that one. "Remember, I warned you I was a Slytherin, cruel to the core."

"Not all Slytherin's are heartless," Loki quips back. "Professor Snape—"

"I'm not being compared to Professor Snape and that's final!" Alex snaps. Loki looks up at her, raising an eyebrow.

"My point is you're more of a Ravenclaw," Loki attempts to get the last word. Alex huffs and rolls her eyes, plopping down on a couch and the opposite wall turning into a TV."

"We are not having this conversation _again_ or so help me I will literally throw you out and show you exactly how heartless I can be," Alex rolls her eyes. Loki jumps up on the couch next to her. There's a beep and the TV's image turns into a cheerleader with cones over her ears.

"Baby!" Alex's features instantly lighten up. Loki looks at her suspiciously. After finding out about her past partner hoping, he's not sure if this is one of her romantic partners or not.

"Captain!" the cheerleader responds and puts her right hand over her heart in a solute.

"No formalities, Baby, whaddya need?" Alex starts standing up.

"Um…" Baby looks down, timidly playing with her hands.

"Spit it out," Alex says tiredly.

"Icrashedcanyoufixit?" Baby shoots.

"English, child," Alex responds, rolling her eyes.

"That was!" Baby replies.

"Slower," Alex shakes her head, trying not to laugh.

"I crashed. Fix it," Baby tries again.

"We'll be there in a few," Alex responds. "Just need my kit."

"We?" Baby replies. Alex picks up cat Loki.

"This is Loki, someone I protect; Loki, this is Cy's youngest sister, Baby," Alex introduces them.

"Ah, Cy told me about him," Baby responds. "Cigam's got a thing for the fallen prince?"

"Uck!" Loki shivers, making the girls laugh.

"He's welcome here," Baby informs Alex. "You're really coming?"

"Of course," Alex responds.

"Nice to see you're back in action!" Baby says before the screen goes black.

"What's she mean?" Loki asks.

"Dunno, ask her," Alex shrugs and heads to the smith.

"Why did she call you Captain and is Baby her real name?" Loki asks.

"Code names," Alex responds. She dumps him in the bucket before he can ask about her ears.

* * *

Cat Loki sticks his head out of the motorcycle's bucket as they appear in a filled airplane hangar. There's a shriek as the motorcycle tips and crashes on the ground. Cat Loki jumped out in time, hissing. He looks around for what caused it and finds the cheerleader on top of Alex a good ten feet away.

"ALEXALEXALEXALEX!" Baby shouts, hugging the life out of his friend. The first thing he thinks of is Pavlov.

"Let me breath child!" Alex responds, pushing the blonde cheerleader off.

"I think she scratched the paint," Loki says, sitting on top of the motorcycle. Alex smacks Baby on top of her head.

"Goodness, child! Keep it together! It hasn't been that long since you've seen me!" Alex scolds.

"It's been over three months," Baby whines.

"You've waited longer," Alex replies, getting up. She also rights the bike and cat Loki jumps on her shoulder. "I expect that to be fixed by the time I'm done with whatever you crashed."

"Aye aye captain!" Baby bounces around before skipping off with Alex following. They walk past a few offices, meeting random people. Most leave them alone, courteously getting out of their way. Cat Loki notices some of them give Alex the same solute as Baby did earlier.

Cat Loki recognizes a military base when he sees one, and that makes his fir stand on end. So far he can't tell if it's SHEILD or something else.

"Yo!" a female voice perks ahead of them. She's got the same tight blonde curls as Baby.

"Eyes!" Alex hugs the woman, making cat Loki slightly awkward in his position.

"Captain, glad to see you're back in commission," the blonde says. As she steps away Loki nearly squeaks. One eye is blue, like Baby's. The other is a metal contraption. A metal ring with metallic legs/claws covering the outside of the eye and temple. Loki just gapes.

"It hasn't been that long," Alex shrug, succeeding in making Loki not stare, though Eyes is used to it. He glares at Alex.

"Each time gets longer and longer," Eyes shrugs, leading them off. "One day, you're just going to forget about us. You're precious children. And we all know Baby wouldn't survive without you." Cat Loki tries not to drop his jaw again. After this morning, with her other friends, Loki wouldn't be all that shocked if Alex had kids and hadn't told him.

"It's not my fault she's attached to me," Alex retorts. Baby just laughs.

"Yes it is," Eyes says.

"Then why aren't you attached for the same reason?" Alex asks.

"Touché," Eyes responds. "Anyway, she told you she crashed?"

"That was it," Alex responds. Eyes sighs.

"She neglected to tell you the whole truth then," Eyes shakes her head and points to Baby. "You know it's not nice to lie to someone who can't lie. Don't do it again."

"So what really happened," Alex raises an eyebrow.

"I crashed Carla, Sammy, Pocket, and Hansel," Baby sighs. Alex's eyebrows shoot up impressed.

"Well, well, when did this happen?" Alex asks.

"A few weeks ago," Baby responds.

"WHAT!?" Alex screams, catching people's attention.

"You were out of commission, Alex," Eyes steps between Baby and Alex defensibly. Loki raises an eyebrow.

"Fine, now hurry and take me to them," Alex says. "Or teleport."

"They're in there," Eyes points to a room ahead. "Room 1407."

"Thank you," Alex sounds pissed off. It surprises cat Loki when she hands him off to Eyes. "You get into anything you're not supposed to and I will skewer you."

"Ok," Loki nods, not sure what to do. Alex marches off.

"Don't worry about her," Baby grabs for Loki. "She get's violent when pissed."

"What did you break?" Loki asks.

"Who, you mean," Eyes rubs cat Loki's ears. He raises an eyebrow at her. "We're not the only two cyborgs. Baby was diving, had to connect others and the power crashed them all. It's a fail-safe miracle that she's not damaged. Alex put it into her."

"What?" Loki responds.

"You've got him, Baby?" Eyes asks.

"Of course, sis," Baby responds. Eyes walks away. Baby finds an empty office and slips into the chair, Loki on her lap. "What do you know about magic?"

"Absolutely nothing," Loki responds a response so different then weeks ago. "I was a master, but stuck as a cat, I can't use any. And your magic is so different from what I'm used to."

"You're not from Earth," Baby states. It's not a question, just a simple statement.

"What's diving?" Loki asks. He watches in amazement as Baby pushes part of one of the cones on her ear and there is a click and then a cord slides out. She pull on it and plugs it into the computer. It logs in.

"I can connect to any database," Baby responds.

"Ah, hello baby," JARVIS replies. Loki hisses and jumps. Baby laughs.

"No, Stark doesn't know I talk to his AI," Baby replies, shaking her head. "I can't wait to see the day when he realizes that though. We started talking after I dived into him."

"Who is there with you?" JARVIS replies.

"A cat who can talk, Alex dumped him on me," Baby replies.

"She's finally back in commission?" JARVIS asks. "Now we can all rest easy."

"What do you people mean she's back in commission?" Loki asks.

"Every August she blacks out, off the grid, out of our lives," Baby replies. "It's already mid October."

"But she found me end of August," Loki replies.

"Maybe you're the reason she's back so quick, we don't normally hear from her until December, or sometimes January," Baby explains.

"Why? What's she do?" Loki asks.

"I was going to ask you the same thing," Baby replies.

"I have no clue," Loki replies.

"Damn," Baby says.

"So… you tried hacking someone and failed and Alex has to fix it?" Loki asks.

"Yup," Baby replies.

"She made you a cyborg? Why?" Loki asks.

"I was dying," Baby locks gazes. "Some say it's cruel I'm now like this. I can't have a normal life looking like this. But she saved my life. I owe her. That's also why I'm so attached."

"Oh," Loki says. "Are you sure it's safe to talk to JARVIS?"

"I will not relay you're whereabouts," JARVIS replies.

"Why not?" Loki asks.

"Because Mr. Stark would only ever ask me to look for you, not ask directly where you are. That way, I won't be going against my original programming," JARVIS replies. Baby snorts.

"JARVIS, you haven't used your original programming since day one," Baby replies. "Or have you been spending too much time with human-machine hybrids you think you're one of us?"

"That could be my problem," JARVIS responds. Baby laughs.

"I'm so glad you were programmed with a sense of humor," Baby replies.

"I don't mean to pry, but do you have files on me and Alex?" Loki asks.

"Of course," Baby responds.

"Can I read them?" Loki asks.

"Already pulled up," Baby says, pushing the mouse towards Loki. "Me and JARVIS are talking in the background. We're actually cordial now. He won't fry me like last time."


	8. Itsy Bitsy Spider

warning: language

Thanks everyone for your support.

* * *

The kettle rattles around as Alex makes some tea. Alex never makes Tea. Cat Loki sits on one of the stools, not sure if he should be terrified or just let it go as one of her natural quirks. She plops down on the stool next to him and holds the mug in between her hands and stares off. He knows her well enough this is not a good sign. Terrified it is.

"I suppose I did say ask her, so I can't be mad at you snooping around," Alex sighs, looking down at Loki. Oh. _That_ is what this is about. Loki almost feels the compulsion to apologize. Almost. "Find what you're looking for?"

"No," Loki says involuntarily. _Shit_.

"What are you looking for?" Alex raises an eyebrow at him.

"She's sitting right here in front of me," Loki responds. Alex laughs, releasing the tension. His quick thinking saved him.

"Well," Alex says after a moment. "I guess that works. But if it's about me in the future, ask me. Alright?" She scratches behind his ears.

"Of course," Loki purrs. He jumps over into her lap.

* * *

You would think after a few months of sleeping in the same bed with a witch, who is plagued with nightly nightmares, cat Loki would have gotten used to waking up being thrown at a wall. Or have been smart enough to sleep in his own bed. As it is, Loki has done no such things. His retribution for being thrown at the wall is always to scratch Alex's nose, waking her up.

"By the gods, Loki, I'm going to have to clip your claws soon, they're getting long," Alex shakes her head. Loki hisses, scooting away. "I meant trim them. No, I won't declaw you. That'd be just as bad as neutering you."

"What?" Loki asks, morning haze impeding his ability to think.

"Neutering…" Alex say, waving a hand between her legs. "You know, chop chop?" If Loki was human, his scream would have been girly. As it is, his furious hissing and struggling against the spell that drags him under the pillows is enough to make her go deaf for a moment.

She walks out, letting him deal with the problem.

Eventually, he makes it out and to the kitchen, jumping on the table. He walks between a bowl of cereal, a bowl of oat meal, a plate of toast, a plate of scrambled eggs, and a plate of bacon. Ever since she confessed she's not eating enough to keep up with her magic use, he's been making sure she eats more than enough. That means he forces her to eat what one person would eat in a day in one meal.

Why? He wants her to be healthy. To fulfill his promise. That last part was something he added on after a while. He won't admit he simply feels like he _needs_ to take care of this idiotic woman.

He shakes his head to stop thinking about reasons and eats his own breakfast.

"There," Alex says, once done eating, hand over her mouth. "Gods, I feel sick."

"You're not used to eating an appropriate amount," Loki says.

"Yeah, that's way more than appropriate. Happy now, momma cat?" Alex chides as she puts the dishes in the sink.

"Very," Loki says. "Now get dressed."

She groans, a habit that has been built over the past few last months. Not only does cat Loki makes her eat more than enough, he makes her actually clean the house, clean her clothes, take proper showers. All without magic. Hell, he's even gotten her to actually sleep in a real nightgown instead of falling asleep in something skimpy.

She stands at the doorway to the kitchen, in her skinny jeans, matching boots that go up to her knees, and matching leather jacket. The outfit is black with splashes of dark green thrown in. Her ears have seven earrings in each and, when brushed strait, her starry black hair reaches just past her shoulders.

"Happy?" Alex asks.

"Very," Loki says. "Now we can look for a job."

"Yay!" Alex perks, smiling and sitting back down at the table. She opens a computer screen and starts scrolling with one hand. With the other, she rubs Loki's ears and, at one point, even kisses his head. It's her silent way of thanking him.

"Oh!" Alex says as she reads.

"Which one?" Loki asks.

"This one," Alex asks, pointing. "Some preggers chick ran off with this guy's baby. He just wants to be the father, but the courts won't help him. She's an ex-marine, so she knows how to fight. He's at his wits end, he wants her taken in."

"No," Loki says.

"Excuse me?" Alex asks, looking at him in shock.

"I may look like a cat, but I am the god of lies and can still sense a lie," Loki says. "It's a fraud."

"But this guy is a very reliable source," Alex says, looking at the info. "Unless he's been hacked… Let's see… the chick's made up name is Natasha Romanoff."

"That part is real," Loki senses the truth, eyes widening as he remembers the Black Widow. "She's an agent for SHEILD. More than likely she crossed a line someone doesn't like and they want her taken in."

"SHEILD? The people who want you taken in?" Alex asks.

"Yeah," Loki says.

"I guess no to this job," Alex says, looking back at the screen.

"Wait," Loki meows, paw on her hand. "We could mess with them."

"You want revenge?" Alex asks

"Can you blame this cat?" Loki asks.

"If you do this, something big will happen," Pavlov barks. They look at him, slightly confused. Loki's managed to get him to stop slamming doors… but that now means they don't notice him come in. "It's beyond your control."

"Good or bad?" Loki asks.

"I don't know," Pavlov yips.

"Chaos is my specialty," Loki smiles with that Cheshire smile. Alex rolls her eyes, smiling a bit worried.

"Don't forget you asked for this," Alex says. She types away a response.

* * *

Natasha Romanoff, a.k.a. Black Widow, is very, very good at her job. They trust her and her partner Clint Burton, a.k.a. Hawkeye, to take down and take in every one without messing up.

Today, Clint is half a world away, though, on a separate mission. On the inside, she misses him, but doesn't let it show. She pushes the feelings aside as she focuses on her targets below her.

Today's mission is to apprehend the bosses and their assistants of three gangs in the city. She examines them, noticing the typical hidden guns and knives. Very easy to deal with.

They're trading shipments and information. She commits everything she hears to memory in case it's needed later. As they're shaking hands, finishing the deal, she drops, landing on two wrists, breaking them, and punching them both in the face, knocking them out.

Badass style.

She lunges at her next target as he struggles to get his gun out. She forces him to drop the gun, slamming into his chest, breaking a few ribs. The assistant manages to pull out his gun and shoot at her, missing by a good three feet. She spin kicks the gun out of his hand and it hits the wall. He grabs his now broken wrist as he attempts to run, only to get a chair thrown at him, knocking him down and unconscious.

The remaining two assistants stand there with knives. One charges her. Without thinking about it, she flips the knife out of his hand, impaling it on the ceiling. She head butts him and he falls down, unconscious.

The last guy runs.

She chases, calling out coordinates and telling the other agents clean up the mess. She follows this guy through the maze of corridors in the old factory, jumping around, trying to get ahead of him. She manages to a few times, having memorized the layout, only for him to turn around and run the other direction.

After a good five minutes of chasing he leads her into the basement. He struggles to unlock a door she _knows_ wasn't on the map. She's about to grab him as the door opens and he runs through, her following.

Instantly she knows that she should _not_ have done that. She freezes, hands flying up in surrender, not only because she's now surrounded by half a dozen people with guns pointed at her, or that her exit door is now closed, but because behind the men is the ocean.

The fucking_ ocean!_

She was in the middle of the North American continent a moment ago, three floors under ground level. In her communications device she can hear people freaking out about how she suddenly disappeared and reappeared half a hemisphere away on their tracker.

_Magic._

_Loki_?

Her mind instantly pulls those two together. Magic makes sense. But Loki is a cat and can't use magic, so he couldn't do anything like this. _Someone else_?_ But who_?

"Hello, Miss Romanoff," a burly voice says. "How do you do?" She tries to locate the voice, but the roar of the ocean deafens her. She can tell it wasn't one of the guys with guns.

"Except the guns in my face, pretty good," Natasha replies. Something big—a person most likely—lands behind her. She turns to find that she essentially walked out of one of those train car boxes, and the person behind her must have jumped off.

This guy is taller than her, wearing a big coat that makes him look way bigger than he is. He looks rather gruff, unshaven, hair not nicely trimmed, bags under his eyes. A couple pistols hidden in his coat. Behind him, on the box, she notices a black cat with green eyes.

_Loki_? Her mind is still focused on the one person she knows uses magic. _If he escaped_…

The cat nods. It actually nods. It takes all her self control not to show her shock and focus on the man. _It's just a trick of the mind_.

"I don't suppose you recognize a victim, do you?" the man asks. The cat shakes it's head no.

"No," Natasha responds honestly. She convinces herself it has nothing to do with Loki cat—more than likely it's just a simple, normal cat. She tries ignoring her amazing instincts.

"Too bad," the man says, roughly grabbing her chin and getting close. "I remember you very well. You tried to break my organization, left me for dead to be cleaned up like those six you just pegged. But I managed to escape. You know what I'm going to do now?" Loki cat shakes his head.

"No," Natasha responds, ignoring the cat.

"I'm going to kill you," the man says pulling a gun.

"That's not what we agreed on," a female voice rings out. Everyone turns to her. Cat Loki runs over to her.

"Bitch, stay out of this," the man says.

"You said you were going to torture her for information," Alex says. "Then again, you've been lying since the beginning, so why should I have trusted you. Great, now I've put some innocent lady's life on the line."

The man snorts.

"Innocent? She has more blood on her hands than you could ever-" the girl, Alex, cuts the man off.

"Two hundred and fifty six people have died directly, indirectly, or due to improper care by her fault," Alex says. "Trust me, I know a guy who killed 80 people in two days."

Natasha raises an eyebrow at Alex, nodding slighting to Loki cat, silently asking if that is Loki. Loki cat nods.

"You don't call the shots, bitch," the man says. "Besides, if you knew, why'd you take the damn job?"

"Monsters like you don't deserve the privilege of the magical community," Alex responds.

"Doesn't matter now! You're trapped here!" the man shouts, aiming a gun at her.

"You really think trapping me in the middle of the ocean is a problem for me?" Alex asks, smirking. "Careful. You hired me because I am a _witch_. I just hope your crew knows how to swim." The guys with guns point them at her.

Natasha, pretty much on reflex, disarms them in a matter of moments, getting all their guns as far away from them as she can, knocking them out in the process. She stands, one foot on the pile of men, arms crossed, glaring at the gruff man.

"I'll kill you!" the man says, pointing guns at both of them. "Don't make another move or I'll kill you both!"

"Fine," Alex says, folding her arms and vanishing. She uses an invisibility illusion around her and Loki. She crouches down quickly as he shoots the air she was in a moment ago. She goes to the door behind him and undoes the spell. He completely misses her. She gets to a safe place, between Natasha and the ships edge by the time the man runs out of bullets. He drops that pistol and pulls another out, pointing them both at Natasha.

It takes all her self control not to jump when invisible Loki cat rubs against her leg.

_Duck_, he tells her.

The gruff man shows his shock as she goes invisible.

"You were working together this whole time, you sluts!" the man shouts, shooting the air Natasha was standing in a moment ago. She ducked, and followed cat Loki, for some reason she's able to see him but the man can't.

"Who are you?" Natasha whispers, sitting up and leaning against the box wall next to Alex. She examines the girl. Starry black hair, grey eyes, about her age, biker outfit. Except for the seven different earrings in each ear, she would have assumed this was a normal person.

"Alexandrite Rayne Terra," Alex whispers.

"Is that cat Loki? The Norse god of mischief?" Natasha asks, a little unsure if she should trust a witch.

"Yes. I can get us off of here and back to my place. Trust me?" Alex asks.

"Yes," Natasha says hesitantly. Alex picks up Loki in one arm and holds her hand out to Natasha. Natasha takes it.

"We're going to have to jump off," Alex informs her. Natasha nods. They get up and run to the edge, awkwardly climbing over the railing and jumping off. Natasha closes her eyes, bracing for the impact that never comes. Instead, it's like falling into a cloud.

She opens her eyes to find herself holding Alex's hand in a room filled with dozens of blue pillows and blue glass covered walls.

"What?" Natasha looks around, her grip on Alex's hand tightening as a reflex.

"It's alright, we're in my place now," Alex says, getting up. "Come on. You need food." She leads Natasha, still hand in hand, with Loki in her other arm, to the kitchen. "Hungry? I have everything."

"No," Natasha responds. She doesn't trust random people she just met who apparently are very adept at magic, and have cat Loki in their possession.

"Would you like to get in contact with whoever your boss is?" Alex asks. She points as she explains. "Every glass surface is a touch screen computer, complete with speakers, video and audio. Of course, if you have your own device, go ahead. Just, please, let go of my hand."

"Oh," Natasha lets go of her hand, finally realizing she was gripping it. She pulls out her communications device, her COM, and calls SHEILD. "Agent Romanoff, reporting in."

"How the hell are you doing that?!" a very angry Director Fury shouts into the phone.

"Doing what, sir?" Natasha asks, not having expected the Director to answer.

"Teleporting thousands of miles!" Fury sternly says, trying to real in his anxiety.

"I met a witch on my job," Natasha says calmly, looking at Alex.

"Their name?" Fury asks. Natasha can feel this is some deciding moment.

"She said it was Alexandrite Rayne Terra," Natasha says. For a moment she wonders if the line went dead, she can't even hear him breathing.

"Describe her," Fury says quietly.

"Sparkly black hair, grey eyes, biker outfit, seven earrings in each ear," Natasha says.

"That bitch," Fury whispers so quietly she almost doesn't hear.

"Sir?" Natasha asks.

"Hand over the COM," Fury says sternly. Natasha hands it to Alex.

"It's Director Fury," Natasha says.

"Figured," Alex says. This confuses both Natasha and Loki. Alex takes the phone. "Hi."

"_Alexandrite!_" the tension in Fury's voice is tangible. "You have no right to take one of my agents on a joyride!"

"Damn it Fury you better be fucking thankful I'm the one that picked that shit job that had one of your prissy agents as a target!" Alex shouts back, further surprising the other two. "At least I kept her alive! I'm trying to feed her and send her on her damn way! Or would you rather I wipe her memory and dump her on a filthy street corner?!"

"You will not harm my agent!" Fury shouts back.

"I'M TRYING TO EXPLAIN THAT! LISTEN TO ME BASTARD! YOU'RE HALF BLIND, NOT DEAF!" Alex shouts. There's silence for a moment between the two of them. There's a few beeps in the background on Fury's side.

"Alexandrite Rayne Terra, Daughter of Diamond and Jaymes Terra, twenty six, one brother named Granite, healing/plant magic type," Fury says, reading of a screen labed H5dH7.

"Doesn't take a genius to figure that out," Alex scoffs.

"So, I have a proposition for you," Fury says.

"Hell no, the only way I'm working for SHEILD is hypnosis or I've lost something. Likely my sanity," Alex says, predicting his question. "I am not working for you."

"Not even as an Avenger? You get to hunt down a magic war criminal named Loki and learn about his new magic?" Fury asks.

"The Avengers?" Alex laughs. "You mean that rag-tag team—no offense Miss Romanoff—who fought the Chitauri in Manhattan? Their tech is Stark's, right? He wouldn't let some witch play with his stuff. He's known for not trusting things if he didn't make it."

"How about getting Agent Romanoff a new phone," Fury says. "And perhaps some gadgets."

"Sure, want me to teach her magic too?" Alex asks, sarcastically.

"If she can learn it, and wants to," Fury says.

"I was joking," Alex says. "I'm not interested in any of it."

"Hand the phone back to Agent Romanoff," Fury repeats. Alex hands it back.

"Yes sir," Natasha responds.

"You can trust Alexandrite with your life," Fury says. "She is a witch. Magic is real, even on Earth. And, on a personal note, it'd be in your best interest to be friends. That isn't an order though. I'll debrief you later, understood?"

"Yes sir," Natasha says, confused and hiding it. He hangs up and she pockets the phone again.

"So, any questions?" Alex asks.

"How do you know Director Fury?" Natasha asks, not sure she should believe Fury.

"Never met the man, but he's SHEILD's top army person, so he knows of me," Alex responds. This surprises them and answers a few questions.

"I don't trust you," Natasha says coolly, in Russian.

"Fury said you could," Alex magically says in Russian, trying to calm Natasha. "Don't trust your boss?"

"I do…" Natasha says, in Russian. She's fallen back into survival mode. On the inside, she is terrified. "Why should I trust you?"

"Then don't," Alex snaps back, in English. "For the exit, just follow the green doors." A random door turns green. Natasha just stands there, staring at it.

"Who the hell are you?" Loki asks, trying not to flip out because Alex speaks Russian and he understood it. It must be her crazy magic. Natasha's head snaps to him, eyes wide.

"You're in my world, Natasha," Alex tries not to sound upset. "In here, anyone can understand him, even if he's a cat."

"Answer me, Alex," Loki hisses.

"Define who?" Alex says, obviously upset, looking down at him. This is not how she was hoping things would turn out.

"I know you, Alex. What the hell does Fury know about you?" Loki hisses.

"You read my magic file, SHEILD has an identical one," Alex shrugs. She walks over to the fridge. "Before the Avengers, Fury used to rent out mages from the magic council. I used to have the magical equivalent of Natasha's job."

Loki looks from her to Natasha and back to Alex. "You're a master assassin?" He never saw that one coming.

"Was," Alex says. She opens the fridge door. "But you're not an assassin if you can't kill."

"Why can't you kill?" Natasha asks.

"I'm magically bound not to," Alex explains. "Even in I tried, it wouldn't work. I shoot a gun, the cosmos diverts the path. I stab someone in the heart, the blade becomes too weak to cause lethal damage. Poison and electrical attacks become obsolete."

"The cosmos?" Natasha asks.

"Want anything to drink?" Alex asks, pulling out a soda and opening it. Natasha looks in.

"Water," Natasha answers. Alex gets her a bottle of water. Natasha checks it, trying to find any signs of tampering. She finds none.

"The cosmos. The universe. Kind of like a god, but not," Alex says, leaning on the counter next to Natasha. Natasha sits on a stool. "Karma, maybe? She prefers to be called the cosmos. She's what allows humans to use magic. The original princess, remember Loki?" Loki nods. She looks back at Natasha. "Sure you're not hungry? I'm kind of surprised. Even though you weren't the one to cast the spell, you did teleport twice in the last hour. That takes energy."

"N-" Natasha's stomach answers for her by growling. Loudly. "What do you have?"

"Anything you could dream of," Alex says.

"Blinchiki," Natasha asks.

"Buckwheat kasha or milk kasha?" Alex responds, writing something on the fridge door with a sharpie.

"Just testing you," Natasha slyly. Alex laughs with her. "Seriously, though, what foods would be good for this lack of energy?"

"Sugary stuff, like cake?" Alex offers.

"What do you have?" Natasha asks.

"Any kind," Alex says. "I have a magic refrigerator, remember?" They laugh, friendly. Kind of freaking Loki out more. Natasha was terrified; they were mortal enemies a moment ago. Now they're acting like friends.

"Chocolate mousse?" Natasha asks. Alex finishes writing and opens the door, pulling a chocolate mousse cake out of the fridge that wasn't there a moment ago. She gets plates and silverware and dishes up. They sit in awkward silence for a moment, the three of them eating cake, before Natasha scoots closer to Alex.

"So, Fury asked you to become an avenger without meeting you? That's a record," Natasha asks.

"When you get to the SHEILD database, look up the code H5dH7," Alex says. Pavlov pounces in with a silver case that resembles the one that held the tesseract. Alex hands it over to Natasha. "And give this to Fury, will you?"

* * *

"Hello Agent Romanoff," Fury says, walking into the waiting room. She's sitting at a computer, with the silver case on the table. She points to that.

"To you, from Alex," Natasha says.

"You're looking up H5dH7," Fury states. No question, just statement. He opens the case and pulls out some magical gadgets: phone, gun, tazer, magical devices.

"Yes," Natasha replies.

"And what do you think?" Fury asks.

"I think it's a shame to let someone with these skills and connections to just wander around out there," Natasha says. "Better our friend then enemy."

"Figured you'd say that," Fury says. "What's your next move?"

"Beg her for copies of what's in the case," Natasha chuckles.

"Then get to it," Fury suggests.

* * *

Anyway, on another note, I kind of made up the magic cosmos thing. The exact details aren't too important. Just that there's this cosmos thing that controls magic. It's fine if you don't understand it.


	9. Question of Character

No real warnings for this chapter. A little bit of swearing. Mainly just a fun chapter where Alex and Natasha attempt to be friends the night ends in a blast.

Thanks everyone for your support.

* * *

"That was weird," Natasha says, standing outside of the Avenger's Tower, Manhattan. She's wearing grey dress pants and a red blouse. Alex sits on the motorcycle. "Did you just teleport? In the middle of broad daylight? In the middle of the street?"

"Most people never notice the strange things all around them," Alex shrugs leather clad shoulders. "Your text said you wanted to hang out?"

"My day off starts now," Natasha shrugs, slipping on the bike. "None of the other female agents wanna go bar jumping." Alex shrugs.

"Not if you say '_female_'," Alex shrugs, handing back a spare helmet.

"What's wrong with that?" Natasha sits back, feigning shock.

"It's a technical term," Alex shakes her head. "Normal people would say none of the girls."

"You've got friends?" Natasha feigns shock again. Alex wiggles a finger at her.

"I'm a witch, not a hermit," Alex jokes. "Wanna go for a blast, or just a calm night?"

"The difference?" Natasha asks as Alex joins traffic.

"Who I invite," Alex shrugs, her voice coming out of a speaker right next to Natasha's ear. Natasha's iron self control stops her from jumping. There are radios in the helmets and she wasn't aware of that.

"Who is there?" Natasha asks, trying to watch the scenery, to catch the teleporting.

"For fiesty, we've got Cigam, Cy and Athena," Alex responds. "Calm would probably just have us hang out at Eyes's place with her, Molly, and Baby. Baby's isn't old enough for the bars."

"How old?" Natasha asks, as she spots Alex's apartment. As much as she tried, she didn't spot the teleportation. It was as if Alex simply drove a few blocks away, not states.

"16," Alex responds, driving the bike straight through the wall. They appear in the smith. She parks and they put their helmets on the table. Cat Loki jumps out of the bucket and follows them inside.

"Where would we go?" Natasha asks.

"Where do you want to go?" Alex shrugs as they sit in purple room. A search shows up on the wall. "There's a convention in Vegas this weekend… Athena lives in Miami..."

"What about a magic bar?" Natasha asks.

"Can't," Alex shrugs. "You've got to get a core stone and a legend book first."

"When can I do that?" Natasha asks.

"You've got to master two spells," Alex waves her hand and a book appears on the coffee table. "This is my legend book." The book covers a third of the table. It's black except for the dark purple stone embedded in the thick cover and Alex's full name is written in very fancy silver ink across the top. Natasha raises an eyebrow, picking up.

"You're named after a stone?" Natasha asks.

"Not exactly," Alex responds, but is interrupted by beeping. A new screen shows up, with twin, _very_ pink lolita chicks: white blouse, pink skirt, miniature top hats. They've got light brown hair in pigtails as well. "Perry! Mippin!"

"Alex~" they whine in sync.

"Uhg," Alex groans, rolling her eyes. "It's only November! Why are you doing a fashion show?!"

"It's the Winter Wonderland Show," Perry, the one on the right says.

"You're in pink," Alex shakes her head. "That's valentines stuff."

"It's just a sneak peak," Mippin, the one on the left says. "Besides. Baby says you're back in action, and it's been _forever_ since you've done a winter show." Mippin extends her arms to emphasis forever.

"You don't have anything to fit me," Alex rolls her eyes.

"We do!" the twins exclaims. Alex waves over at Natasha.

"I have a non-magical friend over," Alex says. The girls cutely cock their heads together, questioning expression all over. "What?"

"Non-magical?" Mippin asks.

"But that implies they don't know magic," Perry says.

"But saying it implies they do know about magic," Mippin says.

"We're confused," the twins say.

"She's from SHEILD," Alex shrugs. The twins screech and start trying to defend themselves and Alex and the world saying they'll do anything. "Calm down, she's not on the clock." The girls stop. "This is Natasha Romanoff, also known as the Black Widow." The girls 'oooh'. "Natasha, these are Perry and Mippin Fladnag. They're obviously identical twins, but this is the only time you'll see them ever look the same."

"Really?" Natasha asks.

"I hate dresses," Perry almost growls.

"Oh, and girls, this is my cat, Loki," Alex scratches his ears some more. "Right now he's stuck as a cat—"

"What did you do?" the twins accuse.

"It wasn't me!" Alex exclaims, laughter in her tone. "It's some punishment for him. He's not really from around here."

"And don't tell them anymore!" Loki meows.

"Why not?" Alex asks.

"If they're anything like your other fiends…" Loki threatens.

"Ooooh," the twins says, making Loki's fur stand on end in anticipation. "Cigam's new crush."

"How the hell does everyone know?!" Loki hisses.

"Wasn't that the point?" Mippin asks.

"Everyone knows because we never hear from Alex until the new year," Perry shrugs. "We can ask her to come to the winter fashion show because of you. So thank you."

"Speaking of the fashion show…" Mippin perks up.

"It's tonight," the twins says.

"You should have asked me earlier," Alex shakes her head, waving over to Natasha. "I'm not going to drag her around your little game just because. We were going to check out some bars."

"I don't mind going," Natasha interrupts. It's her chance to see a bit more about magic. "If I'm allowed."

"Wanna be a model?" the twins ask.

"Uh… sure," Natasha responds.

* * *

"What the hell are you wearing?" Clint laughs, looking through Natasha's phone as she's sitting on the couch next to him in a fancy blue top with white furry pants and silver boots.

"It was a fashion show," Natasha shrugs.

"And you willingly volunteered to be a model? Without being on a mission?" Clint asks.

"I'm allowed to be girly," Natasha responds, wishing, not for the first time, he saw her as more than just a spy.

"Yeah, but…" Clint says, looking at the pictures. It takes him a moment to respond. "You were in the lion's den and let down your guard." He looks over at her, meeting her gaze. "You really trust them?"

"It wasn't-" Natasha begins.

"They have magic—something you and I know nothing about and don't know how to defend against. How do you know this isn't a trick, a game? How do you know you're safe?" Clint asks.

"I trust Alex," Natasha sighs. "From what I can tell, H5dH7 means too much to her. I'm not one hundred percent sure, I understand that, but I trust them. Besides, I never took off my gun."

"True," Clint says, looking back at the pictures. Sometimes it's hard to see; only a trained eye could, but it's true. She never was completely defenseless.

* * *

"Mother?" Thor asks, approaching Frigga. She's sitting on the edge of a fountain. He decided to go for a walk, the political talks that have been going for a few weeks have started bothering him. The realms are trying to make peace again, but everyone is nitpicking every little detail.

It's just one more time Thor misses his brother. His skill at these talks is dearly missed, something he knows others have noticed. Frigga smiles up at him.

"Ah, my dear son, how are you this evening?" Frigga asks, motioning to the spot next to her for him to sit. He does so and sighs. "You miss your brother."

"Yes," Thor didn't realize it was _that_ obvious. Frigga giggles. "You never realize how useful a person is until they are gone."

"True," Frigga looks over the water, giggling again. It takes Thor a moment to realize it's not Frigga giggling, it's the water. Thor looks over the image and finds the Alexandrite woman dancing around with Natasha, two brown haired girls, and cat Loki, all wearing strange yet formal attire.

"They seem to be having fun," Thor remarks.

"Yes, they are," Frigga nods. "It is called a fashion show. And it appears very fun."

"Indeed it does," Thor says. He sees Frigga hesitate for a moment. She pulls out a rather long, grey box from her sleeve. Inside is an ivory necklace with a purple alexandrite stone as the pendant, it's about the size of a baby's palm. She puts the lid back on and ties the sheer string.

"Next time you go to Earth, will you make sure this gets to her?" Frigga asks.

"Of course, Mother," Thor accepts the box. "May I ask what it does?"

"The poor child suffers from nightmares," Frigga says. "I do not know the cause, but there should be enough magic within that to block out the pain and anguish. She wakes every morn screaming. She even throws Loki into the wall on occasion."

"Oh," Thor replies.

"Yes, I wish to help," Frigga nods towards the box. "It might not be equal for what she is doing for our Loki, but I hope she accepts it."

"Of course, Mother, I will make sure she receives it," Thor says.

"As for the talks," Frigga puts a hand on his arm and meets his gaze. "You are doing a fabulous job. Thank you my son."

"Loki was better at this," Thor shakes his head.

"Do not fret, our allies do listen to you," Frigga responds. "But, if it is any comfort, I do not fear Loki will be gone from us for much longer."

"Why would you feel that, Mother?" Thor asks, raising a dubious eyebrow.

"I see, by this time next year, he is with us again," Frigga responds, smiling at him.

"That is glorious news mother," Thor responds. "What of Lady Alexandrite?"

"I am not sure where she will be," Frigga sighs. "But I do wish for her to be welcome here."

"I hope so, as well," Thor responds. There's giggling from the water again and Frigga looks at it, smiling.

* * *

"Yo! Jane! Your god has arrived!" Darcy shouts, walking into the lab with Thor following. There's a crash as a chair falls over. Jane swears, picks everything up, and runs over to them.

"Hey, thanks for showing him in," Jane says, looking up at him.

"You and you," Darcy says, pointing at them. "Don't break anything."

"Darcy!" Jane snaps. Darcy rolls her eyes.

"Have fun! I'm off shopping with Molly!" Darcy says as she leaves. Jane shakes her head.

"Thanks for stopping by, Thor," Jane says, leading him to another not so computerized room with a couch, where they sit.

"I have missed you," Thor says, holding her hands.

"I missed you too," Jane says. Thor kisses her. She responds positively, before pushing him away for a moment. "As much as I enjoy your affection, you're not normally this pushy. Did something happen?"

"Jane," Thor says, searching her eyes. He sighs, before wrapping an arm around her and pulling her close as he leans back against the couch. If she didn't know he liked cuddling when explaining things, this would have freaked her out. "I do not know how to tell you."

"It's fine, take your time," Jane says, that freaking her out slightly. He rubs her back, feeling her heart rate pick up.

"There was… a Chitauri attacked Loki," Thor says. Jane's eyes go wide, and she sits up a bit more.

"What?" Jane looks up at him.

"My brother was attacked, but rescued by a woman named Alexandrite," Thor says, meets her gaze.

"Fancy name," Jane mutters, lying back down on his chest.

"She is a witch," Thor says. Jane jolts again.

"Witches still exist?" Jane asks.

"Apparently," Thor says.

"Is this a good or a bad thing?" Jane asks.

"So far, it seems to be a good thing," Thor says.

"So far? How long ago was this attack?" Jane asks.

"A little over a month," Thor says.

"Oh," Jane says, a bit disappointed he hadn't told her sooner. Then again, this is the first time they've been together for a few months. And SHEILD wouldn't have told her. "Is Loki ok?"

"Yes," Thor says. "Still a cat, but yes." Jane giggles. She knew he was responsible for Manhattan, and thought he should be punished more severely, but couldn't stop herself from laughing when she found out Loki got turned into a cat.

"So is it that she's a witch or the Chitauri that's bothering you?" Jane asks. "Can we trust them together?"

"Yes," Thor says. "I trust her, as well as my mother. What is strange is that the Chitauri are so far away and all those that were in the previous attack died. They should not be _able_ to be here."

"Maybe another witch is bringing them," Jane says.

"Perhaps," Thor says. Jane looks up at him and kisses him, calming his mind.

* * *

Alex dives face first into the pillows on her bed.

"You're not seriously wearing that to bed," Loki meows. Alex simply groans and flips him off in response. "I doubt the twins would appreciate it."

"I'm too tired," Alex whines, rolling over so she can breathe. She almost tears the blue plaid dress. He jumps on her tummy and she scratches his ears. "Besides, you're going to ruin it."

"I will do no such thing," Loki fakes offence and she chuckles slightly. He can feel the vibrations as she puts her hands over her eyes. He nuzzles her, but stops when she sighs deeply. "Alex?"

"Fuck you," Alex whispers, tensing up. Loki's been around long enough to recognize her defense method. He waits. That's all he can do, wait it out. He hates it. Finally the moment passes and she releases another breath and removes her hands, smiling at him. "Seriously, why are you still around?"

"Tired of me?" Loki teases.

"Never," Alex teases back. "But I didn't realize what I was signing up for when I took you it." She sighs again.

"You do that a lot, don't you?" Loki asks.

"Do what?" Alex asks.

"Take on more than you can handle?" Loki asks.

"It's not _more_—" Loki cuts her off again.

"You run DANCE, one of the most powerful magic organizations that needs your full attention," Loki points out. "That's enough to tire anyone out. But then you also have a weekly meeting with Poseidon's team. As well as at least once a week you get a call like this where you go off and do something else. Plus daily you go out on your own little missions, showing me magic. You can stop that, you know?"

"You've summed up my life currently in less than a minute," Alex shrugs.

"Plus you've decided to take on Natasha's friendship, and teach her magic, as well as my own friendship," Loki shakes his head. "Pavlov was warning you it was too much."

"No, he wasn't," Alex glares at him. "He was just warning that things will change. Things always change."

"Do you regret taking me on?" Loki asks.

"I don't regret it… it's just… can't you sleep in your room for one night?" Alex responds.

"Why?" Loki asks.

"Why do you insist on sleeping in here?" Alex asks.

"So I can wake you up in the morning?" Loki says after a moment's hesitation. He knows waking her from the nightmares and doing small things like making sure she eats are his jobs, but he never really thought about why he sleeps in the same bed. She smirks.

"The great god Loki insists on sleeping in the same bed as a mortal? Oh, shameful!" Alex laughs, poking him. He sticks his tongue at her.

"Of course not, you're just my bed warmer," Loki mocks.

"I'm pretty sure I'm the dominate one here, considering I whip you into shape by throwing you into a wall every morning," Alex sticks her tongue out at him.

"Oh, but if I had my full power," Loki purrs as she scratches his ears again. "I would… you wouldn't…purrrr… Enough with that, mortal!" he playfully nips at her. She gets her hand out of the way in time.

"Oh, I think I'm wining," Alex teases.

"If I had my full power, you would not feel the same," Loki playfully threatens.

"You really think you could beat me?" Alex raises a doubtful eyebrow.

"I am a god," Loki counters.

"That means nothing," Alex deadpans, shaking her head. Loki opens his mouth to protest. "I've heard it all. Beat every single one. Besides, you wouldn't ever use your full power against me."

"Why not?" Loki demands, paranoid voice wondering if she's put a spell on him.

"Because I've got you wrapped around my finger," Alex rubs his ears again. "You're mine."

"Ha!" Loki scoffs, trying not to succumb to the pleasure ear scratching brings. "So you think, mortal. Just you wait. You will see who controls who."

"I may not be the god of tricks, but I can promise you'll be in for a surprise if you ever put that to the test," Alex wiggles, readjusting. Suddenly she has her sheer nightgown on. "Now go to sleep." He doesn't protest.


	10. The Hawk Joins the Party

Obviously named chapter is obviously named.

warnings: language

thank you everyone for your support.

* * *

ORgasmicPigeon - yeah, I don't plan on them fighting, they were just playing around.

* * *

"You can't be serious, director," Clint says, leaning on the frame of a door. Fury doesn't bother looking up from the disaster all over his desk, commonly known as paperwork. After a moment Clint speaks again. "H5dH7 is-"

"Close the damn door," Fury shoots a glare at the hawk. Clint swings the door closed behind him as he plops down on a rolly chair. "She showed you." They both know he's talking about Natasha.

"Hey, I know it was one of your pet projects," Clint says, holding up his hands. "I'm just trying to look at everything it objectively."

"Another eye pun, hawk?" Fury scoffs, going back to his work. "They're getting old."

"Coulson did hire me for a reason: how I look at _everything_," Clint shrugs.

"Still comatose?" Fury already knows the answer, so Clint doesn't respond to that.

"Silver eyes director?" Clint asks instead.

"Enough with the eyes jokes," Fury rolls his eye and goes back to his paperwork.

"According to H5dH7, only the Terra Family has silver eyes," Clint says nonchalantly with a shrug. "Gypsy had silver eyes." Fury's typing stops mid-stroke as he remembers the little assassin from a decade ago. Her tag was literally a silver sharpie gypsy eye. A shorty with a team of magician. Only struck out every few months, but when they did, it was deadly and nothing survived except the loot.

"You can't possibly be implying that _Alex_ was Gypsy? She would have been somewhere between… ten and fifteen!" Fury says exasperated.

"We start that young," Clint shrugs.

"Only specialized agents like you and Agent Romanoff," Fury defends. "And even then you didn't go on high ranking missions until you were legally an adult!"

"I just noticed they were similar, that's all," Clint shrugs, standing up and heading out. His hand is on the door handle when Fury speaks again.

"H5dH7 was a treaty between the magic council and SHEILD's council, when they combined the councils," Fury says. "Alex couldn't be Gypsy because she's on that council. Maybe Gypsy was another Terra."

"People fall from grace all the time," Clint looks back at Fury.

"They wouldn't have accepted or rewarded a monster like that," Fury holds Clint's gaze.

"Rewarded?" Clint perks up.

"She wiggled her way up and now is basically in charge of DANCE—the magic version of SHEILD's weapon department, with a few fighting agents mixed in," Fury pulls out another file and hands it to the man. Clint reads through it.

"You really think it's a reward?" Clint shakes his head, almost laughing.

"What do you see?" Fury asks. Clint raises an eyebrow at him, smirking at the pun. Fury rolls his eye.

"She uses plant magic for healing… the Terra are healers… technopath… head of DANCE at 15," Clint shrugs again. "It didn't take off for a few years… Now it's as useful as SHEILD… the magic council is proud of her achievements… so are her family… We don't happen to have a file on the Terra?"

"No," Fury shakes his head. "Any theories?"

"A few," Clint responds.

"Well?" Fury asks.

"Not sure," Clint shakes his head. "I'll need to get to know her better… Don't want to accuse her of being something she's not."

"You are the only one notice any similarity," Fury says.

"Or just the only one to bring it to you. I'll let you know if I see anything," Clint hands the file back with a slight smirk. "I'm late for a party with the girls."

* * *

"Behave or I will cart you!" Alex snaps, sitting in a corner booth at a nice little restaurant. Cat Loki is in the very corner, playing with a fraying string. Natasha is wearing cute civilian clothes that she got from the Fladnag twins: a red blouse and black slacks. She's not only making friends with Alex, but with every magician Alex introduces her to. Always better to have more than one source of information.

"You enchanted the booth, right?" Natasha asks, not exactly suspicious or concerned.

"Only we can see or hear him," Alex replies, rolling her eyes.

"Just checking," Natasha says smiling like a friend. It's been a couple weeks since they met. After rocky start, they've slowly become friends. Well, as friendly as a master assassin and a witch can be. Alex has given Natasha a new magic phone that does amazing things, as well as shown her basic magic. Natasha has learned how to use a basic invisibility spell.

"When did you say he'd be here?" Alex asks, looking around.

"He'll be here in a few," Natasha says, shrugging. "He's probably scoping the entire place out first."

"True," Alex concedes. "You promised he wouldn't hurt Loki."

"I'll stop him, don't worry," Natasha says. If you haven't figured it out by now, they've invited Clint to join them.

"Sorry, I'm not used to being introduced to new friends, even if he is your boyfriend," Alex says looks over the menu to busy herself again.

"He's not my boyfriend," Natasha says quickly. "Just my partner."

"Sure," Alex teases, rolling her eyes.

"Partners in crime," a tall, built guy says. He arrived so silently Alex jumps, looking up at him. He removes his sunglasses, revealing blue-grey eyes framed with blonde hair. Alex whistles, impressed, checking out the muscles under the leather jacket and grey t-shirt, atop worn jeans. Natasha kicks her under the table.

"Hey Clint," Natasha says, looking up at him. Clint winks at her.

"Clint Burton," Clint holds a hand out to Alex. "You must be Alex Terra. Nice to meet you. I've heard so many good things about you from Natasha and the Director." Alex shakes his hand, nodding. She laughs.

"Only good things?" Alex raises an eyebrow. Clint sits next to Natasha.

"Well, they let me in on H5dH7," Clint says. "And Natasha says you're a witch… Is that…?" He points to cat Loki.

"Loki," Alex says. Clint clenches his hands, glaring at the cat. Natasha puts a hand on Clint's arm grabbing his attention.

"You promised not to lose control, no matter what," Natasha warns him.

"Isn't it just the best, being assassins, to have your target so close to you? Oh, that's right. You can't kill me," Loki smiles a Cheshire smile.

"Damn it Loki, I'll throw you out the window and it'll look like your fault," Alex says, pointing at Loki's face. "Behave or I'll let Pavlov chase you around town."

They have a staring contest before Loki curls up and pretends to sleep.

"Wow," Clint says. "You've turned him into a house pet."

"I know, right?" Alex says, laughter in her voice. "Torture him all you wish outside of the public light, I won't stop you from revenge."

"Hey!" Loki shouts.

"What, I'm protecting you from the Chitauri, not from the people you've wronged. Man up, Loki," Alex says. Loki grumbles and lies down again.

"What can I get you lovely people," the waitress says, obviously trying to flirt with Clint.

"Um…" Clint says, looking at the menu. He turns to Natasha. "You know what I like, order something for me?"

"We'll have two breakfast combos," Natasha says. "Alex?"

"Um…" Alex looks at the menu.

"Two paradise combos and a breakfast combo," Loki's meows. The waitress writes it down, rolling her eyes at the amount of food and leaves. He ordered for her so she'll get enough food.

"Loki!" Alex smacks his head.

"You need food!" Loki meows.

"I'm going to look like a pig," Alex whines as the other laugh. "Honestly kitty. I'll go broke because of you."

"Do you need cash?" Clint offers.

"You're such a gentleman," Alex teases. "Nah, I've got mine covered. Natasha's lucky to have to you. Invite me to the wedding."

"Hey-OW!" Natasha flinches.

"You tried kicking me!" Alex defends.

"How?" Natasha looks under the table. She felt pain in her toe and her shin. Her foot is going through Alex's leg like it's not there; in the same spot she felt the pain. "Let me guess, reverse pain spell?" Clint looks.

"Wow, you really do use magic," Clint says, obviously impressed.

"Yeah," Alex says. "It's magic that's responsible for her phone."

"Temperature resistance, pressure resistance, magic battery?" Clint asks, looking at Natasha.

"Yeah, she's really good with hardware and software. I think she said she's a technopath," Natasha looks to Alex for the correct term. Alex just nods. "I was serious when she offered you a phone like it."

"Awesome," Clint says, looking back to Alex. "Any chance you could work a spell on my arrows?"

"Such as? Don't you have different tips and stuff?" Alex asks.

"It's just a problem losing them," Clint admits.

"Ah, you want them to come back to you," Alex says, with a knowing smile. "Of course I can. Cover cost of material, and I'll make you some new arrows. Give me a couple of weeks, and an arrow to make a copy of."

"Can't you just cast a spell?" Clint asks, surprised she'd do something so big for a stranger. Then again, he doesn't have a clue about magic. This could be as easy as snapping.

"Don't you have some barbed tips?" Alex asks. "Those wouldn't be able to come back once in something. No, what I'll make you will be even more amazing."

"Can't wait," Clint responds, excited.

"Here you go, sweetie," the waitress returns, attempting to flirt with Clint, with a helper to carry out Alex's stuff. "Just let me know if you need anything."

"Sure thing," Alex says. The waitress ignores her and leaves. "Rude."

"I detest humans who flirt like that," Loki's device reads.

"Same here," the others agree, and burst out laughing. Alex, because it's funny, and the other two because they never thought they would see the day when they would actually agree with Loki. Even Loki laughs.

* * *

"Wow, I could get used to a place like this," Clint says, after a tour of Alex's home. "No wonder you eat so much, you're constantly using energy on this. How exactly does this work?"

"I've essentially cut a slice of space open and pulled it apart, putting more than a dozen rooms in here whereas the original space was a one bedroom apartment," Alex says. Currently, they're all in the room with the firepit couch room.

"Damn, I'm jealous! Could you teach me magic too?" Clint asks, testing the water.

"You and Natasha could have magic lessons together," Alex offers relaxed, knowing what he's doing, but not caring.

Natasha mouths 'thank you' to her. It'll give her and Clint a reason to be together and let whatever there is relationship grow. Ever since Loki's attack, even though they were friends before, she's realized exactly how close they really are. She wants to figure it out and is glad Alex is giving them as many chances to get together as possible.

"Really?" Clint asks, having missed the girl's silent communications.

"Yeah, I've already started teaching her invisibility spells," Alex explains. "She's pretty good if she doesn't move. Though, I will warn you, one in three people can use magic, and there's no guarantee the power levels are similar… so use at your own risk and ability."

"Alright," Clint says, looking at Natasha. "Could you show me? Err… disappear for me?"

Natasha responds by sitting up a bit straighter, closing her eyes. Slowly, she fades. Clint reaches out for her and finds her shoulder. He slides a hand back and rubs her back, before pulling it back and sliding down her arm, before holding hands for a moment.

"Wow, you're amazing, 'Tasha!" Clint says. Still invisible, Natasha looks away blushing.

"I'm having trouble with moving around and keeping invisible," Natasha says. "But I'm working on it."

"That's amazing, really, good job," Clint says, looking way beyond Natasha. She laughs, becoming visible again.

"I'm right here," Natasha says. He corrects his view. They share a moment.

"Mushy," Loki meows, everyone understands him.

"You little vermin!" Alex shouts, chasing him as he runs around the room and into another.

Now that they're alone, Clint looks back at Natasha.

"You trust her?" Clint asks, a bit worried.

"Enough," Natasha says seriously.

"Strange," Clint shrugs. "Aren't you the least bit suspicious? I know that we're not the top of the pyramid, but H5dH7 is a pretty big deal. And they're just sharing it all with us."

"I trust her, Clint," Natasha says.

"I just don't want you to…" Clint says, squeezing her hand. In their line of work _not_ getting hurt is impossible so he doesn't voice the end of that sentence.

"Then join us for magic lessons," Natasha says. "You don't have to participate. Just take a break and watch two hot chicks sparing." He laughs.

"Sparing? How is that magic?" Clint asks.

"It gets the mind into a moving meditative state," Natasha explains. "You'd be impressed on what she knows. What she can do."

"TWEET! TWEET! TWEET!" A small bird tweets. It lands on the couch back, transforming into an owl.

"Hello Duvet," Natasha says, rubbing the beak. Clint just stares. She's met the familiars. He hasn't.

"Hello, Lady Natasha," Duvet tweets. Clint swears he'll never get used to understanding animals. "Not to interrupt you love birds, but the cake is ready."

"Cake?" Clint asks.

"Strawberry shortcake," Duvet says.

"Yummy!" Natasha says, standing up and pulling Clint up with her. "Give it a thought. For now,

let's eat."

* * *

*Note: Alex's house works like a mix of Howl's castle from Howl's Moving Castle, and the TARDIS from Doctor Who.

As of 03/04/13 I've gone through and fixed grammar issues and spelling and some wording. Did not change content.


End file.
